August 2, 2024
Family Friday
In Week 9, the CMI2 Adaptive Experimentation Facility (AEF) interns at Fort Andrew in Lizemores, WV, prepared the base camp facility for the 2024 Intern Appreciation Day, celebrating our 26 standout summer interns. The summer wrap-up event on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, allowed parents, family, and friends to come to the AEF, listen to speakers, enjoy lunch, and get a tour to understand what was accomplished during the summer internship program.
The five-member CMI2 Communications Coordinators – In Training team, including Taylor Adkins, Earle Boggs, Gracey Champ, Gracie Johnson, and Megan Osborne, managed the communications team and prepared all tasks related to the event by creating invitations for each intern, managing responses, and developing a brochure guests could take home following the event.
As the more than 80 guests arrived, each intern welcomed their family members and loved ones. The Site Specialists- In Training and Makerspace Operators – In Training worked tirelessly throughout the week before the event on the day, cleaning, mopping, and hanging up posters to create a welcoming environment for all guests. Decorations, which included a balloon arch, “AEF Coming Soon” signs, and the Fort Andrew Sign, were utilized to create the perfect picture opportunity for interns and their families.
For the speaking and presentation portion of the event, CMI2 Site Manager Adam Landers welcomed guests. He also introduced three interns, including Gracey Champ, Jaxon Brown, and Elijah Armes, to provide testimonials about the summer.
During the speaking portion of the program, a video recap, created by Earle Boggs and Taylor Adkins, was played, showing action and tasks from the first week through Week 9, including everyday tasks, the progress made, and team photos. The recap video included the deconstruction of the original site off of Leatherwood Road, then the rebuild, and the final touches to the new Fort Andrews location in Lizemores.
Watch the Recap Video
After the intern video, the team shared a video from the CMI2 hosted DIRT Days event from July 2022 with the West Virginia Army National Guard 863rd unite to demonstrate the types of experimentation and development activities hosted at the Fort Andrew location.
Following the video productions, Adam Landers welcomed Walter “Wally” Hatfield, CMI2 Vice President of Experimentation and Training, to review the future of the AEF and discuss the plans in progress for the new facility structure.
The intern team prepared a lunch of hotdogs and hamburgers, and we are grateful to Legacy Foods, who kindly provided sides and desserts. We say it all the time, but connections to our community throughout Clay County allow us to celebrate our progress.
After lunch, each intern provided a guided tour to their families, pointing out the work they’d accomplished this summer. After the tour, guests were welcomed back to the lunch room area for a Question and Answer session, which allowed guests and interns to inquire about what’s next for CMI2 in Clay County.
The impact of the Intern Appreciation Day was due in no small part to the team that led the effort supporting Communications.
“We were excited to support the Intern Appreciation Day as it allowed people in the community to become familiar with CMI2 and the AEF,” said Gracey Champ, AEF intern/Communications Coordinator – In Training. “It was nice for all of us interns to have the chance to show off our hard work and give our families more information about what we’d accomplished this summer.”
Reward & Recognition
Intern Emmah Burchett was presented with the first challenge coin of the summer. The coin, featuring the CMI2 logo on one side and the facility name on the reverse, is given by Fort Andrew leadership as a special recognition. When presenting the award to Emmah, Adam Landers noted she was a ray of sunshine and a hard worker who went above and beyond. Congratulations, Emmah!
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Photography Credits: Gracie Johnson, Taylor Adkins and Earle Boggs, CMI2 Communications Specialist-In Training
Contributing Authors: Gracey Champ, Earle Boggs, CMI2 Communications Specialist-In Training
Video Production Credit: Earle Boggs and Taylor Adkins, CMI2 Communications Specialist-In Training
