Department of Defense Analysis students inching closer to graduation were given an opportunity to share their thesis research to fellow students and faculty in NPS’ Root Hall during the department’s annual research poster session, April 26.
“The idea is how do you take a concept or idea and turn that into a formal thesis proposal, and what we are doing right here is the culmination of that process,” said Assistant Professor Dr. Jesse Hammond. “They have reached a point where they can discuss it in a cohesive manner and have some results to show so here they are putting it all up on a poster so they can talk to other students.”
The session was designed for sixth-quarter Defense Analysis students scheduled to graduate in June. The students create posters that summarize their thesis research, and present and discuss these projects with other students, faculty and staff in a free-form environment.
“These poster sessions give them great feedback from a steady stream of students that come to ask questions and give great feedback,” said Hammond. “These conversations give them great insights into things that they can change, new problems to look at, and different ways to approach problems. This also gives students in their first quarter a great opportunity to come out and see what a good thesis project looks like and how you present it and see what their future looks like.
“We also have a few projects that are not done by students, including one that represents six months of solid work from a hand-picked team commissioned by senior leadership to build a new, design-based approach to thinking about the problem of Afghanistan,” added Hammond.
“We are in a really good place right now in terms of the depth of work our students are working on, and the projects that they choose. It’s fantastic,” he continued.
U.S. Army Capt. Patrick Kerins presented research on a new narrative on U.S. action in Afghanistan going forward, requested by senior leaders on the ground.
“We came up with a number of alternative futures for Afghanistan, and consideration for the planning process going forward,” said Kerins. “The poster session was helpful because it allowed for a number of other students to come out and see what we were doing as well as communicate our ideas to staff and faculty, and hopefully that gets people excited about future projects.”