Thursday, April 20, 2017 • APG News B7 U.S. ARMY PHOTO BY KEN GOSS, CERDEC Students from Chesapeake City Elementary School work on an out-of-this-world assignment during the recent visit from CERDEC's Outreach team. word ‘engineering’ into the kids’ lexicon, to STEM Superstar presentation was a picture refining their build and presenting it to the demystify it and make engineering less of Iron Man and Tony Stark, which class. SUPERSTAR scary,” said Erica Bertoli, CERDEC Out- instantly sparked a lively discussion. “Teachers were just as engaged as the Frompage B1 reach program team lead. “We wanted to “It’s not science, we’re talking about students in the activities. Many commented be CERDEC’s, the Army’s, or the nation’s bring it to their level and make it something superheroes,” Bertoli said. on how the program supported what was leaders of tomorrow," said Jonathan Keller, engaging and fun.” After running through the most powerful being taught in science,” said Leslie CERDEC’s deputy director. Alan Loman, Chesapeake City Elementa- superheroes of all time, the students were Matassa, reading specialist from Red Pump “For a brief moment, these students get ry School principal, appreciated the col- brought back to Tony Stark, who wasn’t Elementary School in Bel Air, Maryland. to be engineers working on an intergalactic laboration with what CERDEC brought bitten by a radioactive spider or born on "The STEM Superstars program is yet problem where, as a team, they have to into his school. “[STEM Superstar] makes it planet Krypton, and who, without his another APG outreach program that reac- come up with a very creative solution. To real for the kids. They start to see real-life armor, can’t fly. hes so many of our students. These solve this problem, the students have to examples of what we’re trying to teach “Tony Stark has no inherent ‘super experiences build on our science and math work through the engineering design proc- them, as well as what their future is going to power,’ he is an engineer. He built himself a program in ways that motivate and excite ess which is part of the Maryland Science be like,” he said. suit and he can hang with the ‘best of the every student. HCPS greatly appreciates Standards,” said Frank Cardo, science and Loman said the timing could not have best,’ with the Avengers,” Bertoli added. the incredible effort and work that goes into STEM program coordinator for Cecil been better. After a brief introduction to what making this program possible," said An- County Public Schools. “We have a first-grade class right now engineering is all about, students were drew Renzulli, supervisor of science, Har- The STEM Superstar program, devel- studying engineering and engineers, and given a mission as astronauts to design and ford County Public Schools. oped by CERDEC, had its first full year in they’re going to have to think about how to develop a space vehicle to explore the moon If students are able to answer the the field during the 2012-13 school year. It build a wall for Humpty Dumpty that will using a “box of stuff.” They were given a few question “What is an engineer?” at the end was designed to complement and support withstand the pressure of a hair dryer,” he minutes to discuss the various require- of the class period with something to the the local school districts’ education pro- said. ments and, with pencil and paper, sketch tune of “engineers solve problems,” Bertoli grams. The first thing Ashley Pierce’s CCES out an idea for how to design their own said she considers STEM Superstar a “The goal of the program was to put the second-grade students saw during their space vehicle before building a prototype, success. Soldiers,” Gingrich said. “If it’s a challenge ucts and services. Consequently, PMO Net E and its Army to bring asystem up to an operational status, Product Lead COMSEC Cryptographic and industry partners are in constant COMSEC then we are not supporting readiness.” Systems,or PdLCCS, and Product Lead Key pursuit of creating and delivering the most Frompage B1 In synch with Gingrich’s message, the Management, PdL KM, are key players in intuitive and simplified solutions for the COMSEC throughout the event. forum continued with briefings, panels and providing COMSEC solutions. PdL CCS Soldier, without compromising COMSEC. “I want you to stay focused on the big breakout sessions to facilitate collaboration procures, tests and fields solutions to secure picture, listen critically to what’s going on with other organizations on COMSEC the Army’s information infrastructure About PEO C3T out in the field and to advocate for our products and solutions over the next two against cyber threats, while PdL KM allows Soldiers,” he said. days. the Army to manage and distribute elec- PEO C3T develops, acquires, fields and Gingrich pointed out that units are For example, the PMO Net E partnership tronic key necessary to communicate and supports the Army’s mission command struggling with the distribution and man- with Tobyhanna Army Depot, or TYAD, is distribute data on the Army’s tactical and network to ensure force readiness. This agement of COMSEC, and the procedures vital to the sustainment of COMSEC.A strategic networks. critical Army modernization priority deliv- required to load every individual Con- cradle-to-grave operation, TYAD provides “PMO Net E is working with the entire ers tactical communications so command- trolled Cryptographic Item (CCI), which is support to PMO Net E through the receipt, acquisition community to ensure we have ers and Soldiers can stay connected and any secure telecommunications, informa- inventory, storage, shipping, packaging, the best COMSEC available to the Army,” informed at all times, even in the most tion handling equipment or other hardware fielding, and lifecycle maintenance of a said Stan Niemiec, project lead Network austere and hostile environments. PEO C3T item that performs a critical COMSEC product. Enablers. “The IPT is the one opportunity is delivering the network to regions around function. Gingrich used the example of It is also responsible for the demilitariza- where we bring together all stakeholders to the globe, enabling high-speed, high-capac- downloading an app on a cell phone, stating tion of up to 250,000 CCI devices per year. focus on integration and to discuss where ity voice, data and video communications to that no one reads the technical manual first; TYAD is one of many organizations that are we are going with our roadmaps.” auser base that includes the Army’s joint, he or she simply starts using the app. integral in providing improved security “As the cyber threat to our network coalition and other mission partners. “That’s the mentality and lack of com- functionality, integration, automation and continues to grow, so does the importance plexity we need to focus on for our cost effectiveness of Army COMSEC prod- of COMSEC,” Niemiec said. DID YOU KNOW? April 24, 2017 will mark 20 years since the death of Eugene Stoner, the designer of the M16 rifle. Eugene Morrison Stoner is best remembered as the designer for his AR-15 trials at Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1956. The AR-10 was rejected in favor of rifle, which became known as the M16, that was adopted in and used by the U.S. the T44 which became the M14. military since the 1960s. Stoner’s AR-15 was far more successful, though it endured a bumpy start. Stoner was born Nov. 22, 1922 in Gosport, Indiana. After high school he Stoner’s chief assistants designed a scaled-down AR-15 from the basic AR-10 installed armament for the Vega Aircraft Company. He enlisted in the U.S. model for the U.S. military. This version of the AR-15 was later adopted as the Marine Corps during World War II and served in the South Pacific and northern M16 rifle. China. The original M16 got its start in the jungles of Vietnam, but in a bad way. After the war, Stoner became a designer engineer while working for the According to guns.wikia.com, because the manufacturer had touted the M16 as Whittaker aircraft equipment company. In 1954, he became a chief engineer for “self-cleaning,” no cleaning kits were issued with the weapons. Additionally, the ArmaLite, a division of Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corporation, where he ammunition ordered for it was “of a very dirty burning composition, and loaded designed a series of prototype small arms. His AR-5 survival rifle was adopted to a higher pressure.” These errors led to the weapons rejection by most ground by the U.S. Air Force. troops who preferred their “old reliable M14s,” and coveted the “legendary AK-47 In 1955, Stoner completed initial design work on the revolutionary AR-10, a fielded by the North Vietnamese.” lightweight, selective fire, infantry rifle that was submitted for rifle evaluation The M16 survived the unreliable reputation that followed it for the next decade to become the U.S. military’s premier rifle for the next 30 years. Stoner famously lamented the rifles’ shaky start. “The Army didn’t furnish any training manuals, they didn’t have a bore brush or a cleaning rod for these weapons and they issued 85,000 of ‘em,” he said. Stoner is regarded by some historians as one of the most successful firearms designers of the 20th century. He left ArmaLite in 1961 and served as a consultant for Colt, then accepted a position with Cadillac Gage where he designed the Stoner 63 Weapons System; a modular weapons system that could be reconfigured as a standard automatic rifle, a light machine gun, a medium machine gun, or a solenoid-fired fixed machine gun.