Photo By Jordan Raiff | Cadet Noah Stern of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania... read more read more
The Rock Island District, a vital component of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, periodically hosts cadets from Reserve Officer Training Corps programs. The District’s broad geographic area and diverse mission set provide valuable exposure to cadets exploring potential Army careers.
These cadets, full-time students committed to future service as U.S. Army officers, gain practical experience through internships with commands similar to those they may lead upon commissioning. Despite a relatively small number of active-duty personnel assigned to the District, cadets have opportunities to shadow officers and observe the innovative and essential work conducted here.
From July 22 to August 18, three cadets interned at the District, gaining hands-on engineering experience outside of a traditional academic setting.
Cadet Noah Stern of Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania is a civil engineering major. Cadet Axel Ekberg from Lehigh University is majoring in Industrial Systems Engineering, and Cadet Faith Loyd from Southern Illinois University is majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a specialty in aerospace.
Despite their varied experiences, all three cadets agreed on what made the USACE Rock Island District special: the people.
“I’ve worked with USACE offices before, and the strong sense of community here is impressive,” said Cadet Stern. “Corps Day was a lot of fun and a great way to meet people.”
“The diversity of projects we observed was incredible. We had the chance to witness, work on, or discuss a wide range of projects. Plus, watching concrete being crushed was fun,” added Cadet Loyd.
During their short visit, the trio gained a comprehensive understanding of the USACE mission at the Rock Island District. They began with a tour of Lock and Dam 15, then visited Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to see the new floodwall project and learn about the scale of the project and the engineering improvements being made.
They also visited the concrete testing lab for a unique experience. According to Cadet Loyd, they “helped create and cut concrete cylinders.” Cadet Stern shared that they also “conducted bridge inspections, visited projects in the Clock Tower, and observed the expansion on the north side of the Annex.”
Overall, the cadets were enthusiastic about the experience. “Seeing the inner workings and the administrative side has been great,” said Cadet Ekberg. “As my first internship, it’s been valuable to gain firsthand experience and understand everyone’s contributions to the USACE mission.”
For Cadet Loyd, the opportunity provided valuable insights to take back to college. “Talking to the engineers and asking questions was great. I help run a club at school, and one of my goals has been to identify skills not taught in the classroom that are helpful in engineering. Getting their feedback on what they use daily that they didn’t learn in college was extremely helpful. I also learned more about certifications and when to take the tests.”
| Date Taken: | 09.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.18.2025 13:13 |
| Story ID: | 548583 |
| Location: | ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS, US |
| Web Views: | 21 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Hands-On Training Exposes ROTC Cadets to USACE Engineering Projects, by Jordan Raiff, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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