Dr. Kerry Hicks, assistant professor of astronautical engineering, (left) awards incoming Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering student,
1st Lt. Heather Crum, with a custom trophy for locating all 26 aliens hidden across the AFIT campus in the Center for Space Research and Assurance’s inaugural “Great CSRA Alien Hunt.” (U.S. Air Force contributed photo)

By Megan Evans
Air Force Institute of Technology

The inaugural “Great CSRA Alien Hunt” combined practical campus navigation with cohort team building and served to familiarize incoming military officer and civilian students with essential institutional facilities and the general layout of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s (AFIT) campus. Faculty members incorporated a playful, aerospace-inspired storyline to elevate engagement and accelerate student networking for the orientation exercise.

Each year, new aeronautics and astronautics graduate students arrive at AFIT’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management’s (GSEM) Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and many are visiting Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for the first time. Over their 18-month master’s and 36-month doctoral curricula, these students rely heavily on campus infrastructure to complete advanced defense research and coursework.

"In the course of their 18 months at AFIT, there are a lot of AFIT resources and infrastructure that they will likely need to locate and use, such as the library for research and classwork, the registrar, student services, financial management, auditoriums, and various research centers," said Dr. Carl Hartsfield, director, AFIT’s Center for Space Research and Assurance (CSRA).

"By sending the students on a scavenger hunt around AFIT, they will have been to these locations firsthand and should be able to confidently find the resources they need later in their AFIT career. Adding the alien hunt provides a bit more fun and a competition to motivate them to seek out every location."

The thematic element was organized by veteran AFIT faculty member Dr. Kerry Hicks whose association with the institute spans four decades. Dr. Hicks is a dual graduate of AFIT, having obtained a Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering in 1986 and a Doctor of Philosophy in Astronautical Engineering in 1989. He served as a military faculty member at AFIT from 2004 - 2009 and has spent the past four years as a civilian assistant professor instructing courses in astrodynamics, reentry, and orbit determination.

"I didn’t create the core scavenger hunt; it’s something we’ve done for a while to get the new students to walk around the campus and find all the offices and infrastructure they will need to interact with," explained Dr. Hicks. "This year, we created 'The Great CSRA Alien Hunt' to add some fun and encourage more interaction between the students."

Under the framework of a scavenger hunt, an extraterrestrial vessel touched down outside Bane Hall, discharging 26 miniature alien visitors across campus. The new students were deputized under the "Coordinated Surveillance and Reconnaissance of Aliens (CSRA)" initiative to locate, document, and report each visitor. All 26 figures were successfully recovered by one observant student. The victor was awarded a custom trophy, and all participants received commemorative, AI-assisted stickers.

1st Lt. Heather Crum won this year’s scavenger hunt by becoming the only student to find all 26 aliens.

"This was a blast!" said Crum, incoming Master of Science in Astronautical Engineering student.

"I feel a lot more comfortable getting around AFIT. There were also funny little guys to find, so that was a plus."

By transforming traditional campus orientation into an engaging, collaborative mission, AFIT GSEM’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics continues to cultivate a dynamic academic environment that prepares military and civilian personnel to lead the future of air and space operations.