NATICK, Mass. -- Henry Girolamo recognizes that experience combined with fresh thinking can result in great innovation.
Girolamo is the lead, Emerging Concepts & Technologies, Warfighter Directorate, at the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center and is the driving force behind the partnership between NSRDEC and the United States Military Academy at West Point. He developed and implemented the collaboration, serves as the NSRDEC point of contact and continues to manage the effort, which was formalized in 2014 under a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU.
Through the collaboration, NSRDEC subject matter experts provide expertise and constructive guidance to USMA cadet teams on optimal research approaches that maximize beneficial technology solutions for Soldiers. Girolamo believes the research conducted at USMA complements NSRDEC research and may result in beneficial and innovative improvements to NSRDEC products.
"The collaboration provides real-world Soldier problems for the cadets to solve as the foundation of their capstone projects," said Girolamo. "The research collaboration provides cadets with an opportunity to work with Army subject matter expert scientists and engineers, to cooperatively research topic areas of mutual interest and importance to NSRDEC and the Army. The cadets receive regular guidance and constructive comments from the scientists where they learn to process the information and turn it into Soldier solutions that are being worked into Soldier products. It's a mutually beneficial win-win for USMA West Point and NSRDEC."
Recently, USMA cadets, along with members of the USMA faculty, visited NSRDEC to present their projects that were developed with NSRDEC sponsors.
Girolamo commended NSRDEC Director Douglas Tamilio for providing support for these projects from the top down.
Some of the student projects included the Torso-Borne Load Redistribution, a project focusing on the redistribution of load carriage weight from the shoulders to the torso to reduce weight on the spine; Tunnel ISR, a project to develop a robotic platform for a rapid reconnaissance system that can be used in tunnels; Female Helmet Fit, a project focusing on improving helmet fit for females based on female shape and hair styles; Aircrew Restraint, a project to develop an adjustable safety restraint tether for use by military aircrews; Aerial Delivery Enhanced Speedbag, a project to modify an existing system to incorporate Soldier-driven improvements; M249 Buttstock Interface, a project working to make the automatic weapon more compatible with body armor systems; and Structured Insulated Panel Hut, a project aimed at addressing new approaches to incorporating human factors in shelter design.
Girolamo coordinated the presentation event along with Lt. Col. Brian Novoselich, director of the Center for Innovation and Engineering at USMA.
Novoselich thanked NSRDEC for the opportunity for the cadets to present this year, and he thanked NSRDEC sponsors for the educational and design opportunities they gave the cadets.
"They looked at some tough Army problems this year," said Novoselich. "Thank you for being so engaged and giving the cadets some unique design experiences."
The exchange between sponsors and cadets is beneficial for both parties.
"It's very important to work with the cadets as they represent the future Army leaders and their experience with NSRDEC will stay with them throughout their career," said Melvin Jee, an NSRDEC team leader. "This is why I try to make their experience as positive as possible. Additionally, the shelter concepts they work on may eventually make it to the field and they would be able to point to it and say, 'I helped in the design of that shelter.'"
"It's very rewarding to engage and support USMA cadets on capstone projects," said Richard Benney, director of NSRDEC's Aerial Delivery Directorate. "I have found every cadet I've interacted with over the years extremely motivated and dedicated to improving Army capabilities. These interactions also expose them to RDEC activities and some of the challenges of acquisition early in their careers. Team Rapid Resupply included two cadets who are planning to be helicopter pilots and who will likely use a future version of the Enhanced Speed Bag System, or ESBS, to deliver critical supplies to infantry Soldiers on the ground. A third cadet on the ESBS project is going infantry and will likely be a recipient of ESBS at some point in the future. Their passion to improve the ESBS was clear during all interactions, and I hope to remain in contact with them as they progress in their careers."
"The collaboration between USMA and NSRDEC anthropology team and the mentoring of USMA cadets is important for highlighting the critical nature for understanding the relationship between Soldier body size and shape and the optimal fit of clothing and individual equipment to improve safety and performance," said Dr. Todd Garlie, an NSRDEC research anthropologist who advised students on the female helmet fit project.
"There are many benefits for NSRDEC," said Girolamo. "In several instances, NSRDEC does not have the human resources to execute the research we are asking the cadets to do. Some of the NSRDEC research requests being made of cadets are in areas of exploration we have never covered before, such as new ways to integrate body armor weight on Soldiers; or develop a rigid wall shelter that can be assembled anywhere in the world in a few hours, with just a few Soldiers; and an aerial delivery product, the Speed Bag, that can accurately deliver more than 300 pounds of supplies to Soldiers on the ground from a high-speed low-altitude aircraft. These are just a few examples."
"Providing the opportunity for cadets to explore the ideas they are learning in the classroom and see them applied is immensely beneficial," said Brig. Gen. Cindy Jebb, dean of the academic board at USMA, West Point. "Working with researchers who are looking at these problems on a daily basis and learning from their expertise enables cadets to see where theory and practice intersect and where there are gaps. This is powerful and essential for the education and leadership development of cadets."
"What I think is most rewarding is working with NSRDEC colleagues and USMA faculty to design topics that are matched with the academic credentials of the cadets," said Girolamo. "We want to set them up for success but want research that is challenging."
Following the event at NSRDEC, the USMA cadets participated in the Soldier Design Competition at the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The competition engages students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and cadets from USMA in the activities of the institute.
Both Jebb and Tamilio also served among the judges at this year's Soldier Design Competition.
"It is a great opportunity for cadets to engage and learn from other participants," said Jebb. "Of course, friendly competition always elevates our game as it gives cadets the chance to test out their projects against the projects of others."
"It was amazing to see how both the cadets and the MIT students worked to solve significant real-world Army problems," said Tamilio. "Their work could potentially have long-lasting effects on our Army."
In addition to the competition at the institute, the potential to solve real-world problems was also part of USMA project presentation day at NSRDEC. Girolamo pointed out how the USMA project presentation day and how the research collaboration between USMA and NSRDEC ultimately benefits the Warfighter.
"Products that are developed under capstone projects are innovations that have out-of-the-box thinking, done by young Soldiers, the cadets, that don't know what has been tried before; and therefore, they have no constraints in trying new ideas that perhaps are surprisingly workable solutions that scientists and engineers may not have tried because of risk," said Girolamo. "But as the collaboration projects become refined products, these will make it into the Army and be used by Soldiers."
The collaboration not only builds projects and products, it helps to cultivate future leaders.
"The best thing is seeing cadets pursue their passions," said Jebb. "This kind of intellectual activity will pay dividends in their own leader development as they think through, adapt, and anticipate challenges and opportunities. They also gain experience collaborating and forming partnerships, which will set them up for success as Army leaders who, along with others, will defend our Republic."
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The U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to provide innovative research, development and engineering to produce capabilities for decisive overmatch to the Army against the complexities of the current and future operating environments in support of the Joint Warfighter and the Nation. RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command.
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