FEBRUARY 28, 2024 – If you were asked to guess how technological development is accelerated for the Army, your first answer might not involve listening to 20 college students talk about ideas they’ve dreamed up.
However, that is exactly what happened at the xTech-Historically Black Colleges and Universities Student Competition at the Baltimore Convention Center this month.
As part of the 38th Annual Black Engineer of the Year Awards conference, or ‘Becoming Everything You Are’ (BEYA), 20 students from HCBUs pitched ideas for the opportunity to potentially develop a prototype of their technological solution.
“We have 400 positions that we are trying to fill with the great minds that we have as you look across this forum today,” said Col. Ronnie Anderson, commander of the Army’s Joint Munitions Command at Rock Island, Illinois.
Anderson was on the lookout for engineering students who might want civilian jobs with the Army.
“There are at least 15 engineering types of jobs that we’re hiring. It’s been really inspiring to get to meet and talk with some young people and hear about their experiences and their desires, where they want to be; what they want to achieve,” he said.
The 20 finalists were selected from proposals submitted beginning last September, each to address either Army areas of autonomy, biological and chemical sciences, or health.
The students participated in the xTech-HBCU Student Accelerator Program, which provided educational guidance and mentorships leading up to the final event held Feb. 16-17, where four of the ideas were selected for further consideration.
Uncovering transformative technology solutions to solve Army problems is exactly what the xTech Program is intended to do. The program hosts prize competitions, connecting businesses – and STEM students wanting to take an idea from the classroom to the start-up – with Army and Department of Defense experts to build solutions for current problems.
The program, led by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology, allows those with ideas to compete for cash prizes and potential follow-up contracts to accelerate and transition their transformative solutions into the Army.
For students of Science, Technology, Engineering or Math, the program can provide education, mentorship and networking opportunities to help integrate into the Army sciences and technology ecosystem.
Over the two days in Baltimore, the 20 students made their pitches. Four of those students received cash prizes from $4,500 to $10,500.
One proposal from a computer science major at Howard University was to leverage blockchain technology for data security, to identify vulnerabilities and detect external threats.
Another, from a computer engineering major at Jackson State University, was a spybot the size of a pencil, designed to autonomously fly surveillance, giving commanders better information about friendly and enemy troop movements.
Each student had 15 minutes to present their idea. Some appeared on a video link while others took to the xTech stage at BEYA to face an audience of onlookers and judges.
“We have some 19- and 20-year-olds up here who are tackling some very incredible topics,” Anderson said admiringly.
A proposal titled “IntelliDefend AI: Integrated Multi-Agent Defense and Augmented Reality Interface for Precision Urban Warfare and Civilian Protection,” by Sambridhi Deo, a computer science major at Fisk University, was the first-place winner, taking home the $10,500 prize.
In the presentation, Deo said the autonomous IntelliDefend leverages advance science and technology to overcome challenges in urban warfare and for civilian protection, using AI-driven surveillance drones.
In second place, receiving $8,500, was Fisk University computer science major Rohan Ray Yadav, with the SafeScout: Autonomous Landmine Detection System.
Yadav said SafeScout uses an autonomous drone equipped with a ground penetrating radar and magnetometer for efficient and rapid detection of landmines or IEDs.
In third place, receiving $6,500, was Oakwood University biology major Osariemen Nosa, with a proposal for a sensory health wristband.
The sensory wristband is equipped with an array of biometric sensors and AI-driven analysis to measure physiological parameters, promising early detection of mental health concerns.
The fourth-place winner, along with $4,500, went to Divine Ogugua, a computer information systems major at Edward Waters University, with TroopWellness: Connecting Those Who Served with Help and Hope.
TroopWellness provides access to professional counseling and communal veteran support to address mental health challenges.
“It’s incredible, the opportunity for us to connect with this kind of talent, this kind of drive, and these new ideas,” Anderson said as he watched. “It’s just inspiring.”
Those who didn’t garner a cash prize still may be winners for the Army, though.
“I’ve talked to so many people here who are software engineers, or data and data analytics; every kind of engineer you can think about,” Anderson said.
“We have the largest civilian population in all of the Army, under the umbrella of Army Materiel Command,” he said.
There are also jobs available for veterans, he said.
“We have hard-to-fill positions across this civilian spectrum, so I would love to go to a Fort Cavazos or Fort Liberty, and find all of these ammo NCOs, mid-career, who are leaving,” he said.
The same for Soldiers in communications, electronics or military police. His command is constantly hiring in civilian positions that fit perfectly with those military specialties.
“To be able to have that prior service preference in the hiring process is helpful to the transitioning soldier, and it’s helpful for us for our work force, as well.”
By Jonathan Austin, Army News Service