U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The Air Force Academy hosted the Disruptive Technology Exhibit May 5-6 in Polaris Hall to promote private-industry internships and highlight innovations in the internet technology realm.
Disruptive technology replaces and shakes up technology, such as cellphones replacing rotary phones or personal computers replacing the typewriter, said Cadet 1st Class Felix Knutson.
“Disruptive technology changes how we do business and communicate,” he said. “This event is about internship and opportunity, and it’s awesome to get perspectives from other-than-military organizations.”
The event’s non-military sponsor was Intel Corporation, a technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. Intel specializes in producing semiconductor chips. All IT and other devices using radio waves rely on semiconductors, electronic components using electronic properties of silicon, germanium and other organic semiconductors.
The exhibit featured several demonstrations geared toward computer-security analytics, management and protection from Intel staff and executives, including Intel's Lab's vice president of strategy, planning and collaboration, Michael Witteman, and Intel Federal LLC's president and general manager, Neil Green.
Knutson said the exhibit showcased the Academy’s cutting-edge curriculum.
“For instance, there were several different Intel exhibits related to the internet of things, neural networks, and low power Bluetooth, which is what we spent time studying in one of my math courses this semester.”
The Internet of Things is the term used to describe the network of physical objects, such as devices, vehicles, buildings and other items, embedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network connectivity that enable these objects to store and exchange data.
Mathematics cadets here design different algorithms to make IT data usable and interpretable to consumers, Knutson said.
Capt. David Ryan, a 2011 Academy graduate and former mathematics major, is assigned to the 453rd Electronic Warfare Squadron at Joint-Base San Antonio, Texas. The 453d EWS provides electronic warfare support to the DOD including training and analysis. Ryan was at the exhibit.
“Classroom learning is one thing, but internships and these exhibits help cadets get a real-world education and apply their classroom skills to technology situations they’ll deal with after they graduate,” he said. “This leads to innovations and success and helps advance the Air Force.”
Knutson said any internship between the Academy and the public sector is valuable whether in the IT realm or, as in his case, with the Senate.
“I experienced and exercised different leadership styles outside of a military environment, and I gained a more realistic understanding of how Defense Department policy is shaped in Washington,” he said. “I was also exposed to many more diverse opinions and people during my internship, which have changed the way I think about different ideas and face challenges here at the Academy. Any internship can only result in a positive experience for the Academy.”