VT-7 pilots complete carrier quals

ATLANTIC OCEAN - The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) hosted 24 student pilots from Mississippi-based Training Squadron Seven (VT-7) for their first landings on an aircraft carrier. The qualification required pilots to successfully complete 10 arrested landings and four touch-and-goes aboard Lincoln’s flight deck. “The first landing wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," said Marine Corps Capt. Nick Deluca, a VT-7 student-pilot. "The ship looked really small, but I was running so well that (deck sailors) made it easy on me." Before landing aboard the carrier, student-pilots practiced 13 different events at a designated airfield. (Source: USS Abraham Lincoln 10/31/17) Central Mississippi Note: VT-7 is part of Training Air Wing One out of Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss.

Harvard biz profs arrive in GT

Twenty faculty members of the Harvard Business School, led by senior associate dean for research Jan Rivkin, will meet with East Mississippi government leaders and officials with the Golden Triangle Development LINK beginning Oct. 30 to learn about the region’s economic success. The HBU faculty started a project in 2011, which Rivkin co-chairs, on U.S. competitiveness. He learned about the Golden Triangle from a CBS "60 Minutes" segment on LINK CEO Joe Max Higgins. The HBS project had been focusing “a lot of time” looking at the world” instead of “perhaps” not enough time on America, Rivkin said. While in the Golden Triangle, the group will meet with LINK representatives and government leaders from Clay, Lowndes and Oktibbeha counties; and tour East Mississippi Community College's Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Mississippi State University's National Strategic Planning and Research Center, Steel Dynamics and PACCAR - a Fortune 500 firm that established a commercial vehicle diesel engine facility in Columbus, Miss. The HBS faculty may draw up a case study for students or delve into other regions issues. "It's always hard to know before you go to a place what you'll learn," Rivkin said. "The thing that most fascinates me is the coordination that appears to be taking place, between government, businesses, nonprofits and educational institutions. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 10/28/17)

New members for CLCC board

The Columbus Lowndes (Miss.) Chamber of Commerce announced the results of its 2017 board election. New board members are Matt Bogue of The Dutch Oil Group, Greg Stewart of Aurora Flight Sciences, and Jill Savely of East Mississippi Community College’s Golden Triangle Early College High School. Bogue, Stewart, and Savely will serve a three-year term through September 2020. Melinda Lowe, director for the Office of Outreach and Innovation at Mississippi University for Women, will serve as board chair for 2017-18. The CLCC board is charged with guiding the organization in working to achieve its mission and vision to promote a favorable business climate and increase membership value through cooperative efforts while continually increasing business development. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 10/26/17)

MS prof makes cut for Nicholls prez

Six candidates have been named semifinalists for the next president of Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, La., according to the search committee: Jay Clune, Eugene Dial, John Doucet, Shawn Mauldin, Wade Rousse and Marcheta Evans. All six are to be interviewed in public on campus Nov 6-7. Mauldin is a Nicholls alumnus and has served as director of Mississippi State University’s accounting school since 2015. Clune is a Nicholls alumnus who currently serves as the interim dean for the University of West Florida’s graduate school in Pensacola, Fla. Dial is NSU’s vice president for student affairs and associate professor of education. Doucet serves as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Evans has served as vice president for academic affairs and provost at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas. She is the only woman who was named as a qualified applicant, and the only African American. Mauldin joined the Nicholls staff in 1987 as an instructor in accounting, and served as department head from 2000-05 and as dean for the following decade. Rousse has served in top leadership roles in oil and gas related companies in Louisiana since he graduated in 1993, as well as taught economics as a visiting professor at Northern Arizona State since 2015. After the interviews, the search committee will recommend at least two candidates. Those chosen will be interviewed Nov. 14 by the full University of Louisiana System board, which will choose the new president on that same day. (Source: Houma [La.] Today 10/25/17)

UM's new graphene research center

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi has established a new center to advance translational science and engineering of graphene-based technologies. The Center for Graphene Research and Innovation was established Oct. 19. Graphene is a form of carbon consisting of a one-layer thick hexagonal lattice with one atom at each vertex. Graphene has significant growth potential across a number of markets. It is 200 times stronger than steel, and more conductive than silicon. Over the last several years, research conducted at Ole Miss has included computational physical chemistry; photovoltaic solar cells; electromagnetic applications - including perfect absorbers, high-impedance surfaces, sub-wavelength imaging, hyper-lenses, cloaking and reduction of interference in antennas - and nano-composites for aerospace, defense, and homeland security. Initial sectors targeted by the center will include energy, electronics, biomedical, and structural, said Ahmed Al-Ostaz, director of the Nano Infrastructure Laboratory and professor of civil engineering. (Source: University of Mississippi 10/25/17)

Project vendor fair today

COLUMBUS, Miss. - Area construction companies and local Golden Triangle, Miss., businesses will have the opportunity to attend a vendor fair Oct. 24 (from 1-4 p.m.) for information on the Southern Cross Transmission Project, a proposed $700 million wind energy transmission line, which if approved by the public service commission, will run through central Mississippi. Southern Cross is hosting the fair at the Courtyard Marriott in Columbus. The company is looking for construction and land maintenance firms, plus equipment rentals, food and lodging services. SC is a subsidiary of Pattern Energy Group with plans to build the 400-mile, 500-kilovolt line from Texas to east Mississippi. The company filed its formal submission and route proposal with the Mississippi Public Service Commission in April. MPSC has not approved the project. PSC commissioner Brandon Presley said the agency plans to hold a series of hearings. The schedule hearings should be set within 30 days. The proposed route finishes in Lowndes County at a $300 million converter station set to be built in Caledonia. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 10/23/17)

Prez addresses AF pilot shortage

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump signed an executive order Oct. 20 allowing the Air Force to address a serious pilot shortage. The EO amends a post 9/11 emergency declaration allowing the AF to call up to 1,000 retired pilots for three years. Pentagon spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Gary Ross, says the AF is currently short about 1,500 pilots. (Source: The Associated Press 10/20/17)

Non-profit workshop at MSU

STARKVILLE, Miss. - Developing skills in order to lead a non-profit organization will be the focus of a public workshop at Mississippi State University on Oct. 27. Dan Prater, executive director of Drury University’s Center for Nonprofit Leadership and co-chair f Nonprofit Missouri, will be featured speaker. In addition to employees of human services, education, faith-based, health care, and civic organizations, the training is designed to benefit business CEOs, executive directors, public relations, and marketing professionals. The three-session program will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Bost Extension Center. Registration is $45. (Source Mississippi State University 10/18/17)

MS prof to work on Mars research

Tougaloo (Miss.) College professor Santanu Banerjee is going to assist with research in preparation for NASA’s goal to explore Mars in the 2030s. He got a $26,000 grant to conduct research that mimics environmental conditions on the Red Planet, like UV radiation, humidity and microgravity. The goal is to test the survival rate of bacteria samples. Banerjee is also a Mississippi IDeA Network on Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) research development award recipient. INBRE is housed at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. It provides benefits to researchers and students across the state for biomedical research through funding by the National Institutes of Health. (Source: Clarion Ledger brief 10/14/17)

Keelser’s 85th EIS deploys to PR

KEESLER AFB, Miss. – Hand-picked personnel from the Air Force’s 85th Engineering Installation Squadron at Keesler AFB deployed Oct. 13 to repair Puerto Rico’s land mobile radio communications infrastructure for first responders following Hurricane Maria. The 85th EIS was requested by name to help get it back up and running. “U.S. Army North had some direct influence in our tasking to Puerto Rico,” said Maj. Jason Read, operations director for the 85th EIS. “One of the comments a FEMA representative made was that they can’t make the proper assessments; that’s what they need us there for. At that point we knew we had to be prepared for everything.” The 85th EIS is the only active duty engineering and installation unit in the Air Force. Its expertise and reputation is the reason why they were selected. They handpicked every team member based on their skill sets ranging from radio frequency, airfield communications, cable antenna, translators and someone with local knowledge of Puerto Rico. (Source: Keesler AFB 10/13/17)

Airmen showcase AF to students

TUPELO, Miss. – More than 110 personnel from Columbus (Miss.) Air Force Base spent several days showing more than 7,000 eighth-grade students, from 17 northeast Mississippi counties some of the vast career opportunities that the AF offers. The event was at the Imagine the Possibilities Career Expo from Oct. 3-5 in Tupelo. The expo was hosted by the CREATE Foundation. Airmen from CAFB represented seven of the 18 career pathways, including aerospace, communications, engineering, government and public administration, health sciences, logistics, and law and public safety. Within those pathways, 21 careers were showcased. (Source: 14th Flying Training Wing 10/13/17)

AFA seeking top civilians of year

Air Force officials are seeking nominations for the 2018 Air Force Association’s Outstanding Civilian Employees of the Year awards. The AFA recognizes four AF civilian employees for outstanding achievement in four categories: Civilian wage employee; civilian program specialist (GS 1-11); civilian program manager (GS 12-13); and civilian senior manager (GS 14-15). Major commands may submit one nomination. All nominee packages are due to the AF’s Personnel Center not later than Jan. 5, 2018. (Source: AF Personnel Center 10/13/17)

Condor to repeat NOLA flights

Condor Airlines will continue its twice-weekly, summertime non-stop flights from New Orleans to Germany in 2018. The flight, launched in May, was one of two new European connections for the Crescent City. Officials announced the renewal service Oct. 10 after the airline wrapped up its 2017 seasonal flights. The last Condor flight from Louis Armstrong International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, for this year departed Oct. 4. Next year's Condor flights from New Orleans to Frankfurt will launch May 17 and run through Sept. 30. A 259-seat Boeing 767-300ER will fly the route. The flights are to depart NOLA on Thursdays and Sundays. Flights from Frankfurt will leave midday on Thursdays and Sundays. (Source: NOLA.com 10/10/17)

AHI delivers Army’s 400th Lakota

Airbus Helicopters Inc. delivered the Army’s 400th UH-72A Lakota helicopter fulfilling its contract requirements to date. The UH-72A is one of the key helicopter models the Army will operate for the foreseeable future, including for training at Fort Rucker, Ala. The platform is a twin-engine aircraft with a digital glass cockpit, flight controls, and navigation systems. Army and Army National Guard units operate the UH-72A in a variety of missions, including flight training, surveillance and reconnaissance, medical evacuations, border security, VIP transport and disaster response. The UH-72A is assembled at the AHI’s facility in Columbus, Miss. (Source: Defense World 10/09/17)

Orbital ATK to expand Iuka facility

Orbital ATK has plans to expand its Iuka, Miss., and begin production of the Antares, Pegasus, and Minotaur launch vehicles and a large national aerospace and defense program. The company plans to begin production on the new composite launch vehicle structures and aerospace components in the third quarter of 2017, and fill 50 new jobs by the close of 2018. The expansion investment is $10.48 million. The Mississippi Development Authority provided assistance for infrastructure and facility improvements. Tishomingo County also provided assistance. The Iuka facility currently has more than 100 employees producing large composite structures for United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V and Delta IV launch vehicles. (Source: Mississippi Business Journal 10/10/17)

Swinging doors at VA

The leader of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system unexpectedly resigned effective Oct. 7 leaving three top VA positions unfilled by permanent undersecretaries. Dr. Poonam Alaigh, the acting undersecretary for health since May, sent a message to VA employees last week informing them of the resignation, due to family reasons. Alaigh will be replaced by Dr. Carolyn Clancy, who will take the position in an interim capacity. Clancy has been with the VA for more than 10 years and will oversee a health system of more than 160 medical centers and 1,000 clinics that serves some nine million veterans. The chiefs of two other VA sectors - benefits and cemeteries - are also temporarily filled. President Trump nominated Randy Reeves as the VA undersecretary for memorial affairs on Sept. 1. Reeves is executive director of the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board. He was questioned by the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee last week and must be confirmed by the full Senate before taking the post. (Source: Stars and Stripes 10/06/17) Reeves served as past president of the National Association of State Directors of Veterans Affairs. He served in the Navy, retiring with the rank of commander. Prior to his Navy stint, Reeves was an enlisted airman in the Air Force.

New boss for Vicksburg’s 412th EC

The chief of staff of the Army announced Oct. 6 that Army Reserve Brig. Gen. Daniel J. Christian, deputy commander (Troop Program Unit) of the 412th Engineer Command (Mission Support Element) at Vicksburg, Miss., was assigned to the billet of Commander (Troop Program Unit) of the 412th EC at Vicksburg. (Source: DOD 10/06/17)

SECDEF warns DOD against leaks

WASHINGTON – Defense Secretary Jim Mattis issued a new warning in an Oct. 3 internal memo to all U.S. military and Defense Department civilians against leaking information, and directed personnel to report suspected leaks. Mattis reminded DOD personnel that “it is a violation of our oath to divulge, in any fashion, non-public DOD information, classified or unclassified, to anyone without the required security clearance as well as a specific need to know in the performance of their duties.” He also reinforced obligations to report leaks. Transparency advocates freaked out at the memo. Non-public, but unclassified DOD information can include internal memos, trip itineraries or administrative guidance the Pentagon decides it does not want in the public record, even if the information is not sensitive enough to classify (i.e. “for official use only”). “No single incident triggered this,” said DOD spokesman, Army Maj. Audricia M. Harris. (Source: Defense News 10/05/17) Mississippi Note: There are a number of military installations, active duty personnel (9500-plus) and DOD civilians (2300-plus) serving across the Magnolia State, including at NAS Meridian, Columbus and Keesler AFBs, Naval Construction Battalion Center, and Stennis Space Center.

Boeing agrees to buy Aurora

Boeing Co. and Aurora Flight Sciences Corp., an innovator, developer and manufacturer of advanced aerospace platforms, have signed an agreement allowing Boeing to acquire AFS. Aurora specializes in autonomous systems technologies to enable advanced robotic aircraft for future aerospace applications and vehicles. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed. The transaction is anticipated to close after receipt of regulatory approvals. Once acquired, Aurora will be a subsidiary under Boeing Engineering, Test & Technology. AFS will retain an independent operating model while benefiting from Boeing's resources and position as a provider of aerospace products and services. AFS is headquartered in Manassas, Va., and has a production facility in Columbus, Miss. (Source: NASDAQ 10/05/17) Golden Triangle Note: The Columbus facility is an Aerostructures Manufacturing and Final Assembly plant located at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport. The Mississippi facility fabricates and performs final assembly of composite aerostructures for defense and commercial aerospace customers, including Aurora’s Orion Medium Altitude-Long Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

NASM’s VT-7 pilots identified

MONROE COUNTY, Tenn. - The Navy has identified the two Naval Air Station Meridian, Miss., pilots that were killed in an Oct. 1 crash of a T-45C training jet in the Tellico Plains of the Cherokee National Forest in northeast Tennessee. Federal investigators identified the pilots as Lt. Patrick L. Ruth, 31, of Metairie, La., and student-pilot Lt. j.g. Wallace E. Burch, 25, of Horn Lake, Miss. The pilots were assigned to the "Eagles" of Training Squadron Seven (VT-7) based at NASM. (Source: WVLT 10/03/17) Golden Triangle Note: Training squadrons VT-7 and VT-8 were in a stand-down mode Oct. 2, but resume flying the next day, according to the Chief of Naval Air Training in Texas.

NASM T-45s standdown after crash

MERIDIAN, Miss. - Training Air Wine One of NAS Meridian, Miss., confirmed about 9:40 a.m. on Oct. 2 that a T-45 belonging to Training Squadron Seven (VT-7) base at NASM, which had been gone missing since the day before, had crashed in East Tennessee. An instructor and student pilot aboard the aircraft did not survive the crash. Names of the two were being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin have been notified. An investigation will commence to determine the cause of the mishap. Training Air Wing One is one of five training wings that belong to the Chief of Naval Air Training, headquartered at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas. (Source: CTW-One 10/02/17) UPDATE: VT-7 observed a stand-down on Oct. 2, according to Lt. Elizabeth Feaster, a spokeswoman for CNATRA. Cmdr. Jason Gustin, commanding officer of the squadron will determine Oct. 3 whether the squadron needs to extend the stand-down.

L-3 garners $54M-plus contracts

L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC of Madison, Miss., was awarded two DOD contracts worth more than $54M-plus on Oct. 1. A $27,689,184 firm-fixed-price modification (P00165) for logistics support of T-1A aircraft. Services include contractor-operated maintained supply, over and above, on-equipment maintenance, data and field service representatives. Work will be performed at Vance Air Force Base, Okla.; Columbus AFB, Miss.; Laughlin AFB Texas; Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas; Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla.; and is expected to be completed by Jan. 31, 2018. FY 2018 operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $27,689,184 are being obligated at time of award. Tinker AFB Oklahoma is the contracting activity. Secondly, L-3 was awarded a $26,816,547 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for the repair of 16 T-1A hail-damaged aircraft. Work will be performed in Waco, Texas, and Madison, Miss., and is expected to be completed by Sept. 30, 2018. FY-18 O&M funds are being obligated at time of the award. Air Force Life Cycle Management of Tinker AFB Okla. is the second contracting activity. (DOD 10/02/17)

$8.7M Trimark contract for NOLA

Trimark Constructors LLC of Metairie, La., was awarded an $8,739,400 firm-fixed-price contract to replace the Squadron Operations Facility at the Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, located in Belle Chasse. The project will include demolition of the old facility and construction of a new one. The contract also contains 13 unexercised options and one planned modification, which if exercised would increase cumulative contract value to $10,286,550. Work will be performed in Belle Chasse, La., and is expected to be completed by August 2019. FY 2016 Air National Guard military construction contract funds in the amount of $8,739,400 are obligated on this award. This contract was competitively procured via the Federal Business Opportunities website. Seven proposals were received. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southeast of Jacksonville, Fla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DOD 09/29/17)

GT residents seek PR info

Golden Triangle area residents in Columbus and Starkville have spent days online viewing Hurricane Maria’s Sept. 20 destruction of their native Puerto Rico. Daria Rodriguez spent days without a word about her 10-year-old son, who was on the island. She cried on Sept. 22 when her son, Cerame, called her to say he was OK. His father had driven him to San Juan, the nearest place they could find cell reception. Daria's friend Beatriz Velez, both veterinary medicine students at Mississippi State University, also got positive words from home. Columbus AFB Airman First Class Alberto Becerril, who grew up in Puerto Rico, has only heard from his family once, just as the hurricane hit. They seemed to be okay, he said. Fellow CAFB Airman First Class Kiara Rodriguez, also a PR native, had slightly better luck when her aunt called with news that her grandmother was safe, but running out of medicine and can’t get to a hospital. She has not heard from her paternal grandparents. Nearly two weeks after the storm, airports are reportedly (partially) closed and boxes of supplies sitting in ports, Kiara said. None of the four know when they'll see family in Puerto Rico again. Kiara is trying to arrange for her grandmother to join her in Mississippi to get access to medical care. Daria is determined to get to Puerto Rico by at least December and bring her son upon returning to Mississippi. (Source: Columbus Dispatch 09/30/17)