WHITE SANDS, N.M. -- Through an Academic Individual Advanced Development experience, a United States Military Academy cadet spent his summer at the Army’s fundamental research laboratory supporting the invention of future battlefield energy systems.
Cadet Jacob Sears, a chemical engineering major at West Point, spent his summer working in the Power and Energy Sciences Division of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, Army Research Laboratory at the lab’s White Sands Missile Range location.
His core mission this summer was to assist in mobilizing the Atmospheric Intelligence for Hybrid Power Advancement power grid and integrate it into a system with modular defense capabilities.
“My work is contributing to warfighter protection from unmanned aerial systems and advancements in alternative energy sources, especially for autonomous systems,” Sears said.
Joining a world-class Department of War laboratory presented an exciting opportunity for rapid professional growth. Sears quickly embraced the dynamic, agile engineering approach vital to advancing military research and mission success.
“I found that an interesting challenge of working in DoW labs is the highly iterative approach to designing systems,” Sears noted. “I had to adapt to a method of designing small parts of my assigned system at a time and presenting them for feedback so that I could speed up my design process and waste less time on re-designing other parts of the system.”
That rapid feedback loop ultimately paid off. After multiple design attempts, Sears achieved a major breakthrough in how the mobilized power system was visualized and structured.
“One great breakthrough was the design of the mobilized power grid system,” Sears said. “It took a few tries to nail down a good visualization of the system, but in the end, it came out to be a very sleek and modern-looking 'go-kart' design.”
Sears credited much of his success to his mentor, Gail Vaucher, DEVCOM ARL meteorologist, whose guidance helped him bridge the gap between complex engineering concepts and effective military communication.
“Ms. Vaucher was very helpful as a mentor,” Sears said. “She gave great advice on the way that I was presenting my work and helped me bring my results together in a way that they could be meaningfully communicated.”
The experience has fundamentally reshaped how Sears views his long-term military career, opening his eyes even further to the vast research enterprise that supports Soldiers from behind the scenes.
“This experience has inspired me to look to pursue academia in the military after I initially spend time in a combat role,” Sears said. “I would eventually like to instruct cadets and help them in their research at the academy or conduct research myself at a place like ARL.”
For other students and West Point cadets considering an internship with ARL, Sears urges them to take the leap, even if they feel intimidated by the advanced technology.
“I would advise them to not be afraid to apply, even if they are a little unsure of their abilities or interest,” Sears said. “ARL found a great way for me to be involved with current Army research and development, and I was incredibly passionate about my project.”
For further information on internships at ARL, please visit https://arl.devcom.army.mil/careers/students/.
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DEVCOM ARL is the Army’s sole fundamental research laboratory serving as the nexus of science between the military, academia and industry. Operating under U.S. Army Futures and Concepts Command and the U.S. Army Transformation and Training Command, ARL executes globally recognized research to accelerate delivery of war-winning, disruptive technologies for tomorrow’s Army.
For information, visit the Army Research Laboratory website.
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