Dr. Matt Bohm, director of industry engagement and capstone projects at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polytechnic University, is facilitating the Universityβs participation in Hacking for Defense, a program of the Department of Defenseβs National Security Innovation Network. Students in the program work to solve real national security problems.
The U.S. military is turning to interdisciplinary teams of students from 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polytechnic University to help solve some of its most pressing challenges.
(H4D), a program of the Department of Defenseβs National Security Innovation Network (NSIN), challenges students at some of the nationβs top universities to find solutions to a wide variety of the militaryβs communications, logistics, and modernization problems.
Ήσ±τ΄Η°ωΎ±»ε²Ήβs is encouraging all its member institutions to participate in the H4D program and 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly is among the very first to do so.
βWhat makes Hacking for Defense incredible is students get to serve their country while learning how to build a startup to solve real national security problems,β said Tommy Sowers, southeast regional director of NSIN. β91ΒιΆΉΣ³» is a huge military state and has great universities, but the ability for university students to work and make a connection to a real problem in the military, and also for the military to connect with the fantastic problem solvers inside universities, doesnβt normally happen.β
At 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly, the H4D curriculum has been integrated in to the experience of four Capstone Design teams. They are working with Army, Air Force, Marines, and Air National Guard military installations in Georgia and North Carolina.
βThis connects us with a very large Department of Defense network within the state,β said Dr. Matt Bohm, director of industry engagement and capstone projects at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly. βDefense is an $85-to-$90 billion market just in 91ΒιΆΉΣ³», and even though these projects are with bases in other states, thereβs a wealth of projects and jobs in 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» as well.β
One of the 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polyβs H4D teams is working to improve the communication tools used by Air Force operations group squadron commanders. The current system requires commanders to access multiple messaging apps, email systems, and collaboration tools to share information ranging from flight and maintenance schedules to personnel data and social event notices. The 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly students are working to develop tools to help these users efficiently access and act upon this critical information.
βWhen you hear the words βnational security,β you donβt necessarily think about computer science or engineering, but we are using innovation in those areas to fix those problems in a very interesting way,β said Dr. Doga Demirel, an assistant professor of computer science at 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly.
Demirel was one of several 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly faculty members who received training to provide students working on H4D projects the enhanced curriculum and framework required by the program.
The 13 participating students are not only devising solutions to real-world problems, they are interviewing 10 stakeholders a week to gather as much information as possible about the issue they are addressing.
βThe students are getting a better understanding of the governmental aspects of the field and learning everything we do has some sort of connection with the government,β Demirel said.
91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly hopes its participation in H4D will grow to as many as 10 projects a year and become a program that students actively compete to earn a seat in.
βStudents who may know nothing about the military in 90 days usually become a master in the problem domain,β said Sowers, from NSIN. βThey interview 100 people inside the military who face a problem and they build solutions rapidly, like a startup would, to move from problem to viable product to prototype, and some even form companies to sell the solution back to the military.β
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