Our cadets have many excellent opportunities to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real research and engineering problems in the field with Army laboratories, commercial business, and other activities across the nation and the world. Rising juniors and seniors are eligible.

If you're a cadet interested in a summer assignment or a potential sponsor seeking a cadet, please contact the Coordinator for Advanced Individual Academic Development (AIAD).

Just a few examples of recent and current opportunities....

Visualization of Rounds Striking Armor

ARL, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland

The Army Research Laboratory has collected large volumes of experimental data on the effects of various munitions striking Kevlar armor. This data was collected from computer simulations that save the Army millions of dollars each year by allowing researchers to collect data without destroying physical objects. The purpose of this AIAD project is to represent that data using 3-D animations.

Engine Test Data Reduction Program

Redstone Arsenal, Alabama

The sponsoring agency has a huge volumes of data concerning every conceivable parameter of a helicopter’s performance. The problem is that storing this data takes too much space and slowed down the analysis process. The cadet on this AIAD developed a custom application using Visual Basic that reduced the data without significant loss in accuracy or reliability.

Intrusion Detection and Analysis

1st Information Operations Command, Fort Belvoir, Virginia

The two cadets assigned to this Top Secret AIAD spend three weeks working with the U.S. Army organization responsible for computer network attack and defense. They serve as battle captain in the 24-hour operations center monitoring real-time intrusions into Army networks and also helped analyze tools used to detect attacks. Other AIADs that require Top Secret clearance in the Washington, DC area are the National Reconnaissance Organization and the National Security Agency.

PEO Ground Combat

Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey

This proposed project would compare the different data exchange mechanisms and schemas used by present mounted, dismounted, and aerial systems that generate, process, and/or visualize Blue Force data. It would also highlight the overlap and differences across these various systems and postulate what might be gained and lost in developing a standard “least common denominator” data exchange and situational awareness software service within near/mid-term migration multi-echelon battle command hierarchies. The project consists of three phases: Data Collection, Analysis and Comparison, and Findings. These would be performed over a contiguous three week period.

PJM Interconnect

Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Participants in this AIAD will work directly for PJM's Chief Security Officer (CSO) whose responsibilities span the cyber and physical security of PJM as well as business continuity planning. The CSO will assign tasks to the participant that require coordination with other business units (Operations, Markets, IT). The intent of these assignments will be to provide the Cadet with a comprehensive understanding of how PJM business model operates. Based upon the cadet's interests, assignments could range from conducting network analysis of critical assets, enhancing business continuity and incident response plans, to assisting with power system analysis.

Dive into Microsoft Corporation

Redmond, Washington

This AIAD exposes cadets to most of the major business operations of the Microsoft Corporation. They spend anywhere from a few hours to a few days working with and observing the various divisions of Microsoft at its Redmond campus. The cadets leave with a better understanding of how major software projects are conceived and executed in the commercial world.

Directorate of Operational Testing and Evaluation

Washington, DC

The Information Assurance (IA) Assessment Program DOT&E is a DoD agency responsible for working with the various services to assess of the IA posture of joint headquarters. The cadets assigned to this AIAD work with the Army and Marine Corps components to assess their respective postures. Along the way, they receive valuable training on how IA works at the practitioner level.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Lincoln Labs, Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Army will soon be using vehicle-mounted satellite radio links to extend the tactical network when conventional line-of-sight radios are not enough. Since these satellite links are expensive, the vehicles that are so equipped will connect to other vehicles around them using traditional radios, and to their higher headquarters using satellites. The cadets assigned to this AIAD develop a mechanism that allows these radio links to work. This work is subsequently tested on the actual radios with very positive results.

Cyber Crime Center

Washington, DC

Cadets have a variety of jobs they can undertake, such as: designing and develop a password cracking tool for a steganography program; Research how to detect data hidden in audio files; Design and develop a program to detect data hidden in audio files (WAV and MP3); Design and develop a stegextraction program; Test & Evaluate password cracking tools (DNA, Rainbow table, etc)

Chile and Panama

The U.S. Secret Service investigates a very large number of email threats to our national leaders. Though many messages have the same author, discovering this commonality has been challenging to date. A system that could automatically point investigators towards the more prolific authors would save much work. Outcomes – The cadets in this project will develop a software system that calculates the probability that multiple text streams were generated by the same author or source, and lead to experiments that will quantify the accuracy of the text attribution system.

Paris, France

Cadets would design a reactive honeynet implementation that doesn’t wait for a system to be compromised – instead honeypots are created dynamically in reaction to active scanning of your network or reports of specific exploit attempts. The dynamic creation can be accomplished through the Vmware scripting API or through Vmware's Virtual Center. This system would rely on IDS agents monitoring network traffic looking for scanning activity. Once the agent recognizes an attacker looking for a specific OS or application vulnerability, a honeypot is created using virtual machines that most closely matches the assumed target of the attacker.

iRobot

Burlington, Massachusetts

Cadets will be charged to design a "Cheapbot" - a very low cost robot which can be used to check around the corner or inside a building without risking a soldier. It needs small size, light weight, good speed, the ability to climb obstacles and have video & 2-way audio. iRobot will task the cadets with creating a proof-of-concept vehicle using technology currently in iRobot's inventory. iRobot engineers will advise and critique the cadets as well as train them up on the design and operation of our in-theatre military robot; the PackBot. The cadets will be exposed to all of the issues common to robot design: ruggedization, power management, thermal management, electronic integration and user interface design. By the end of the project they will have a good understanding of what it takes to make a truly useful robot and what the design tradeoff issues are -- and iRobot will have a proof-of-concept system that can be use to evaluate the idea.

PEO Aviation

Hunstville, Alabama

Cadets would assist in the following Software/System Level Integration Testing (SIT) at the CH-47F prime contractor facilities:

Serve as Government representative during the conductance of SIT activities
Assist in the early detection and troubleshooting of software and hardware deficiencies in CH-47F CAAS in order to minimize potential cost and schedule impacts to the program
Work with Government and Contractor counterparts to ensure identified deficiencies are properly corrected and documented
Ensure software verification testing activities adequately demonstrate the system requirements
Work with the prime contractor in developing a SIT Report, documenting all failures, successes, and problems encountered during testing

Simulation & Training Technology Center

Orlando, Florida

Cadets have the opportunity to work with a variety of in-progress simulation testing environments that cover nearly every facet of combat and combat support.

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