Cadets get ‘constructive’ engineering experience

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James A. Rush
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
Cadets exchange computers, backpacks and books for hard hats, lumber and a bulldozer when they sign up for a summer civil engineering course.

The entry-level course takes place in the academy’s Jacks Valley at the field engineering and readiness laboratory. The five-week program acquaints 60 cadets with the fields of civil and environmental engineering by using real-world projects to bridge the gap between academic theory and hands-on practice.

“This nationally recognized program is an innovative … hands-on educational and construction experience that integrates education, readiness training and humanitarian service,” said Lt. Col. Steve Kuennen, the laboratory commander. “Students learn by ‘constructing first and designing later.’ Our field experience in construction and interactions with mentors from across the Air Force prepares cadets for future successes as officers and leaders.”

One of the main projects is constructing two hogans for the Navajo Nation. Cadets build these traditional, Navajo homes from the ground up.

The course shows cadets how the active Air Force works, said Cadet 1st Class Michael William Hobson, the laboratory cadet commander.

“Cadets see how much skill is involved in being a civil engineer and also that civil engineering is a very diverse career field,” he said. “The skills learned (here) enable cadets to become better Air Force officers.”

Cadet Hobson and 14 other senior cadets manage the course with the assistance of several mentors. Mentors are experienced Air Force civil engineers, from active-duty and reserve component units Air Force-wide, with many coming from Buckley Air Force Base, Colo.

Once the hogans are complete they are donated to the Southwest Indian Foundation in Gallup, N.M. Cadets have built 15 homes during the past seven years.

This year’s course began with a two-week tour of an active-duty civil engineer squadron and a three-week program at the academy which ends June 26.

Students are divided into five flights. The cadets in each flight try different activities each day during the three weeks here. These tasks provide cadets with broad exposure to Air Force civil engineer work, Cadet Hobson said.

“One of the favorite activities is the heavy equipment course,” he said.

When the cadets are not using the full-size equivalent of Tonka trucks in the sandbox, they learn welding, steel bridge construction, surveying, road paving and more.

Building concrete beams is another popular session. The lesson ends with students learning how well they have done by trying to destroy their own work.

“The cadets are given half a yard of concrete and three pieces of rebar to design as strong a beam as possible,” Cadet Hobson said. “They can vary the height and width of their beam, and also are able to place the rebar anywhere inside the beam.”

The classes give cadets practical experience and a greater understanding of how the design process works before taking design classes their senior year. The experience allows cadets to have a greater chance of success in class, Cadet Hobson said.