West Point Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Now Available: Tactical Innovation Symposium – Technical and Procedural Abstracts, Volume 1.

This open-access publication, developed in collaboration with West Point’s Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, the West Point Center for Applied Engineering, West Point Werx Innovation Hub, and the DEVCOM Catalyst Pathfinder Program, features insights from the fourth Tactical Innovation Symposium.

This volume brings together technical and procedural innovations from military and industry partners focused on solving real-world Soldier challenges at the tactical edge.

Explore the full volume on the West Point Press Proceedings page: https://westpointpress.com/proceedings



West Point Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Dean of the Academic Board-West Point
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory

Big News! 🚨

We’ve officially launched TWO new departments:
✈️ Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE) & 📐Civil & Environmental Engineering (CEE)

From building critical infrastructure to designing cutting-edge aircraft, CEE and MAE will develop future Army leaders to solve the world’s toughest engineering challenges. 💡

Follow our new pages to stay up to date on all things CEE and MAE! 👇

MAE:
Instagram –
Facebook –
LinkedIn –
X –

CEE:
Instagram –
Facebook – West Point Civil and Environmental Engineering
LinkedIn – -point-civil-and-environmental-engineering

| Dean of the Academic Board-West Point | West Point - The U.S. Military Academy | West Point Parents | West Point Admissions | West Point Association of Graduates

NASA astronaut and COL Anne McClain ’02 continues to lead the way in space science! This week aboard the ISS, she powered critical research maintaining the Kermit microscope, supported the upcoming Ax-4 mission, and contributed to studies helping astronauts stay mission-ready for spacewalks. Read more here: https://go.nasa.gov/4kXLk1p

She also carries something extraordinary with her: Legacy Gold—a symbol of strength, sacrifice, and tradition forged from over 950 West Point rings and carried into space for the first time. 🌍✨ Read more here: https://bit.ly/41Rg7ot

Wishing COL McClain continued success on her mission—and a very happy birthday today from the West Point community! 🎂🚀

Dr. Davidson is breaking down the opportunities to modernize and improve the resilience of the grid! ⚡️🌬️

Check it out ⬇️

Why Wind And Solar Make Grids More Vulnerable to Blackouts Renewable energy, like wind and solar, has become a larger part of the overall power supply, but the grid wasn’t designed to handle it. WSJ asks a mechanical engineer for three ways to fix this.

𝐂𝐌𝐄 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐞 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 🎉

•••

𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞, 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬! 🎓

Congratulations to Cadet Drew Homan ’26 on being named a 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholar! 🎉

A mechanical engineering major from Appleton, WI, Drew applies his passion for medicine and mechanics to improve blood transfusion kits for cold environments- work aimed at saving lives in austere military settings.

Homan plans to continue his technical and leadership development by pursuing a graduate degree in mechanical engineering and commissioning into Infantry before beginning a career in research and development.

“I’m honored to represent West Point and my hometown as a Goldwater Scholar and grateful to my advisor, Dr. Emine Foust, for her mentorship,” said Homan. “The Foundation connects me with a powerful network of peers and mentors who are committed to advancing technical excellence in service.”

Well done! 👏

Celebrating CME Excellence! 🎉

Congratulations to COL Bret Van Poppel, COL Brian Novoselich, Dr. Todd Davidson, and Dr. Kevin McMullen on their incredible achievements in scholarship, teaching, cadet and faculty development, and service.

•COL Van Poppel: Professor Emeritus
•COL Novoselich: Professor of Engineering Education
•Dr. Davidson & Dr. McMullen: Associate Professor

Well done! 👏

Automotive Engineering 🤝 Virtual Reality

Cadets are taking learning to the next level with VR instruction:

🔧 Gaining hands-on experience without the lab mess.
👀 High-res, 3D views of engine systems for deeper understanding.
🛠️ Interactive instruction: cadets worked on virtual vehicles while the class followed along on the projector.

All made possible with a high-performance laptop from the USMA Simulations Center, equipped to handle the high processing and graphics requirements to run VR.