NEW LONDON, Conn. — A 2010 graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy here was granted a Fulbright Scholarship to study sustainable energy engineering in Norway during academic year 2012-2013.

Lt. j.g. Joe DiRenzo IV of Suffolk, Va., was granted the scholarship and will pursue a master’s degree in innovative and sustainable energy engineering from the Norwegian Technical University (NTNU) with a concentration in renewable energy generation and utilization. DiRenzo is currently serving as the first lieutenant aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant, a 210-foot medium-endurance cutter homeported in Port Canaveral, Fla.

DiRenzo selected the ISEE program because of its research-oriented curriculum with real-world applications, which he hopes will enhance renewable energy initiatives within the Coast Guard. During his time at NTNU, DiRenzo will also study at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden where he will focus on using sustainable energy systems for shipboard components as well as studying the feasibility of implementing sustainable energy into the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet.

Norway and Sweden have integrated modern forms of renewable energy into many aspects of industry and daily living. Sweden is attempting to become the first oil-free economy by replacing fossil fuel with bio fuel. Like the United States, Norway and Sweden are maritime nations and have developed renewable energy science for application in the maritime environment. DiRenzo believes the Coast Guard can benefit from research coming out of these academic institutions, particularly in the field of carbon capture and environmentally-friendly energy production.

Upon completing his Fulbright Scholarship, DiRenzo intends to resume his operational career and return to the Coast Guard’s cutter fleet. He plans to merge his renewable energy technical expertise with his maritime operational experience, enabling him to serve the Coast Guard in engineering positions as a mid-grade officer.  

DiRenzo graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in 2010 with a degree in mechanical engineering with high honors. This is DiRenzo's second Fulbright Scholarship since graduating from the academy.

(Top row) Coast Guard Academy First Class Cadet Richard Weiland. (Middle row) Coast Guard Academy First Class Cadets J. Matthew Hurtt and Nicholas Fain. (Front row) Coast Guard Academy First Class Cadets Hillary Smith, David Rehfuss and Mike Leath. Photo courtesy of International Institute of Humanitarian Law, San Remo, Italy.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — A U.S. Coast Guard Academy cadet took top honors during a week-long debate on the law of armed conflict March 26 - 30 in San Remo, Italy.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy First Class Cadet David Rehfuss debated as a member of a three-person team, consisting of a Turkish and a Norwegian cadet.  The team competed against 24 additional teams and earned top prize during the 11th annual Law of Armed Conflict Competition for Military Academies.

The competition, hosted by the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, aims to teach cadets the law of armed conflict – a body of customary rules and international treaties designed to prevent unnecessary suffering and escalation of hostilities. The event offers an international forum for cadets to learn to work together and respect their differences.

Rehfuss was one of six cadets from the Coast Guard Academy who participated in the competition. Additional Coast Guard Academy participants included First Class Cadets Richard Weiland, Hillary Smith, J. Matthew Hurtt, Nicholas Fain, and Mike Leath - each earning praise from the competition administrators.

The Coast Guard Academy competed in the annual event since the competition began eleven years ago, earning 1st, 2nd or 3rd-place finishes in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, and 2011.

For more information on the IIHL, please visit www.iihl.org.

NEW YORK - A cadet from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., received an aviation award Thursday during Aviation Week’s Laureate Awards ceremony in Washington, which recognizes exploration, innovation and heroism of current and future leaders.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy First Class Cadet Tyler Dewechter, of Mount Laurel, N.J., received a Tomorrow's Leader Award during the presentation.

A graduate of St. Joseph’s Preparatory High School in Philadelphia, Dewechter is currently studying Mechanical Engineering and is a member of the Men’s Rugby Club and Officer Christian Fellowship at the Coast Guard Academy. He spent summer tours aboard the Coast Guard Cutters Acushnet, Eagle and Shrike, and he interned at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. This semester, Dewechter is serving as the academy’s regimental commander and hopes to earn advanced degrees in Aeronautical Structures and Aerospace Engineering, to assume an engineering officer position with the Coast Guard and to eventually have a career with NASA.

Dewechter was one of four armed-service cadets honored as Tomorrow’s Leaders by Aviation Week. Other cadet honorees include U.S. Air Force Academy Cadet Dustin Hayhurst, U.S. Military Academy at West Point Cadet Jack Scudder, and U.S. Naval Academy Cadet Cameron Thornberry.

“These remarkable cadets represent the best of our future leadership,” said Greg Hamilton, president, Aviation Week. “We rely on their ingenuity, integrity and professionalism to fuel our progress — today and tomorrow. It is an honor to recognize them with the prestigious list of Aviation Week Laureate Award winners.”

Laureate Awards were presented in 10 categories, including a lifetime achievement winner and heroism award. More information is available at http://www.aviationweek.com/events/current/lau/index.htm.

Complete coverage of the awards will be available in the March 19 double-issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

About Aviation Week:

Aviation Week, part of The McGraw-Hill Companies, is the largest multimedia information and services provider to the global aviation, aerospace and defense industries, and includes http://AviationWeek.com, Aviation Week & Space Technology, Defense Technology International, Business & Commercial Aviation, Overhaul & Maintenance, ShowNews, Aviation Daily, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, The Weekly of Business Aviation, Aviation Week Intelligence Network and MRO Links. The group also produces events around the world.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy Third Class Cadet Dillon Torno poses for a photograph with the Coast Guard Commendation Medal at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn., Thursday, Jan. 12. Torno earned the medal for rescuing a woman in New Jersey during his summer vacation. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 3rd Class Diana Honings.

NEW LONDON, Conn. — U.S. Coast Guard Academy Third Class Cadet Dillon Torno, 19, of Clarksburg, N.J., received a Coast Guard Commendation Medal Thursday, Jan. 12, at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy here.

During his summer vacation in New Jersey in 2011, Torno responded to a call for help on the international distress frequency while sailing with his father. He performed lifesaving service and first-aid assistance to a woman who had become distressed in the water and stayed with her until emergency technicians arrived.

“When I heard the distress call on the VHF radio, my training from the Coast Guard Academy immediately kicked in," said Torno. "I did not hesitate to respond to the boater, and I know any one of my fellow cadets would have done the same thing. That’s why we’re here after all – to answer the call and dare mighty things." 

The award was presented by U.S. Coast Guard Academy Commandant of Cadets Capt. John O’Connor and Jeff Torno, Dillon’s father, during a ceremony among the Corps of Cadets. 

"Third Class Cadet Dillon Torno's response in this case while on leave, enjoying a day on the water with his father, was the ultimate reconciliation of the competencies he has acquired through the academy's professional training program and his proactive response to a mariner in distress," said O'Connor. "The academy and the Coast Guard are very proud of Torno. His heroic actions resulted in the saving of a life and epitomizes the Coast Guard's motto of 'Semper Paratus, Always Ready.'"

Torno is a 2010 graduate of Peddie School and is scheduled to graduate from the Coast Guard Academy in 2014 with a degree in Civil Engineering.

NEW LONDON, Conn. – Fourteen cadets are being processed for disenrollment from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for using synthetic marijuana. 

An investigation recently completed and reviewed by academy officials found that 14 cadets were involved in the improper use of a synthetic substance that mimics the effects of marijuana. Eight others have been implicated in the incident or are under investigation. Each of the 14 cadets being processed has a right to appeal their disenrollment to the Assistant Commandant for Human Resources at Coast Guard Headquarters in Washington.  Each appeal, if filed, will receive full and independent consideration.

Consuming this substance at the academy is expressly prohibited.  Those found to be using the substance will normally be processed for disenrollment from the institution and discharged from the service pursuant to Coast Guard policy.

“While we are certainly disappointed with the conduct involved in this incident, these actions are not indicative of the behavior of our Corps of Cadets,” said Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, Academy Superintendent. "The use of synthetic marijuana is a troubling issue nationwide.  As a military institution, we hold cadets to the highest standards of conduct and go to great lengths to ensure those standards are clearly understood and strictly enforced.” 

An Austin, Texas, native is one of four members from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Combat Arms Team who won the Scholastic Steel Challenge’s 2011 Fall Collegiate Championship – a firearms speed shooting competition.

Second Class Cadet Barton Nanney, 21, competed Nov. 12 in Epping, N.H., along with 14 of his classmates from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In all, 43 competitors from four different colleges competed during the match.

Nanney, along with three other team members from the academy, took first place in the competition.

“I went into this wanting to just have a lot of fun and enjoy myself and we ended up coming out of it winning twice," said Nanney. "It was a really great experience going out with these guys and seeing what we could accomplish with minimal practice and training."

(From left) U.S. Coast Guard Academy Second Class Cadet Jake Naum, Second Class Cadet Barton Nanney, Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, Second Class Cadet Jon Sapundjieff and First Class Cadet Alex Webber pose for a photo Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi

The Scholastic Steel Challenge is a national team-oriented youth shooting program developed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association and funded in part by a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The program offers the opportunity to compete as a four-person team for a national title in the action pistol discipline of speed shooting.

“The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Combat Arms Team put in an outstanding performance at the Collegiate Spring Championship. As SSC expands at the collegiate level, the cadets are likely to remain at, or near, the top of each match,” said Scott Moore, director of the Scholastic Steel Challenge.

The academy’s three registered squads placed first, fourth and fifth in the challenge.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy First Class Cadet Alex Webber, 22, of Boxborough, Mass., poses for a photograph with a trophy and steel shooting target Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, at the academy's gun range in New London, Conn. Webber is one of four team members from the Coast Guard Academy Combat Arms Team who competed in and won the Scholastic Steel Challenge's 2011 Fall Collegiate Championship. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi

A Boxborough, Mass., native is one of four members from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Combat Arms Team who won the Scholastic Steel Challenge’s 2011 Fall Collegiate Championship – a firearms speed shooting competition.

First Class Cadet Alex Webber, 22, competed Nov. 12 in Epping, N.H., along with 14 of his classmates from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In all, 43 competitors from four different colleges competed during the match.

Webber, along with three other team members from the academy, took first place in the competition.

“I've been on the team for three years and this year was a nice change of pace to do only speed shooting as opposed to speed and accuracy," said Webber. "It was definitely a shifting of the skills to try and push us into the lead - which we did."

"It was nice to win but it was really great for the new guys. We were able to walk them through their first competition ever and they showed tremendous potential. This is my last year on the team and I feel satisfied that I've taught them well enough to fill my shoes after seeing them shoot this past performance."

(From left) U.S. Coast Guard Academy Second Class Cadet Jake Naum, Second Class Cadet Barton Nanney, Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, Second Class Cadet Jon Sapundjieff and First Class Cadet Alex Webber pose for a photo Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi

The Scholastic Steel Challenge is a national team-oriented youth shooting program developed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association and funded in part by a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The program offers the opportunity to compete as a four-person team for a national title in the action pistol discipline of speed shooting.

“The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Combat Arms Team put in an outstanding performance at the Collegiate Spring Championship. As SSC expands at the collegiate level, the cadets are likely to remain at, or near, the top of each match,” said Scott Moore, director of the Scholastic Steel Challenge.

The academy’s three registered squads placed first, fourth and fifth in the challenge.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy Second Class Cadet Jake Naum, 21, of Auburn, Maine, poses for a photograph with a trophy and steel shooting target Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, at the academy's gun range in New London, Conn. Naum is one of four team members from the Coast Guard Academy Combat Arms Team who competed in and won the Scholastic Steel Challenge's 2011 Fall Collegiate Championship. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi.

An Auburn, Maine, native is one of four members from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Combat Arms Team who won the Scholastic Steel Challenge’s 2011 Fall Collegiate Championship – a firearms speed shooting competition.

Second Class Cadet Jake Naum, 21, competed Nov. 12 in Epping, N.H., along with 14 of his classmates from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In all, 43 competitors from four different colleges competed during the match. 

Naum, along with three other team members from the academy, took first place in the competition.

“When we went up to Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, N.H., we came back winning the Scholastic Steel Challenge trophy for the fall," said Naum. "It was nice to come back and defend the title after our spring match. We did some training this fall on the range here and worked on target acquisition, speed and accuracy with targets. It was great that we could go up there and put our best foot forward and take the trophy home with us after practicing this and devoting lots of hard work and hours into preparing for the match."

(From left) U.S. Coast Guard Academy Second Class Cadet Jake Naum, Second Class Cadet Barton Nanney, Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, Second Class Cadet Jon Sapundjieff and First Class Cadet Alex Webber pose for a photo Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi

The Scholastic Steel Challenge is a national team-oriented youth shooting program developed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association and funded in part by a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The program offers the opportunity to compete as a four-person team for a national title in the action pistol discipline of speed shooting.

“The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Combat Arms Team put in an outstanding performance at the Collegiate Spring Championship. As SSC expands at the collegiate level, the cadets are likely to remain at, or near, the top of each match,” said Scott Moore, director of the Scholastic Steel Challenge.

The academy’s three registered squads placed first, fourth and fifth in the challenge.

U.S. Coast Guard Academy Second Class Cadet Jon Sapundjieff, 20, of Melbourne, Fla., poses for a photograph with a trophy and steel shooting target Friday, Dec. 2, 2011, at the academy's gun range in New London, Conn. Spundjieff is one of four team members from the Coast Guard Academy Combat Arms Team who competed in and won the Scholastic Steel Challenge's 2011 Fall Collegiate Championship. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi.

A Melbourne, Fla., native is one of four members from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy Combat Arms Team who won the Scholastic Steel Challenge’s 2011 Fall Collegiate Championship – a firearms speed shooting competition.

Second Class Cadet Jon Sapundjieff, 20, competed Nov. 12 in Epping, N.H., along with 14 of his classmates from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. In all, 43 competitors from four different colleges competed during the match. 

Sapundjieff, along with three other team members from the academy, took first place in the competition.

“I had a good time at the Spring and Fall match this year," said Sapundjieff. "We won both of them and posted pretty good times. We had a good team harmonics and improved dramatically since the Spring match. We also dropped the time significantly as a team and individually."

(From left) U.S. Coast Guard Academy Second Class Cadet Jake Naum, Second Class Cadet Barton Nanney, Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz, Second Class Cadet Jon Sapundjieff and First Class Cadet Alex Webber pose for a photo Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011, at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn. U.S. Coast Guard photograph by Petty Officer 1st Class NyxoLyno Cangemi

The Scholastic Steel Challenge is a national team-oriented youth shooting program developed by the Steel Challenge Shooting Association and funded in part by a grant from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The program offers the opportunity to compete as a four-person team for a national title in the action pistol discipline of speed shooting.

“The U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Combat Arms Team put in an outstanding performance at the Collegiate Spring Championship. As SSC expands at the collegiate level, the cadets are likely to remain at, or near, the top of each match,” said Scott Moore, director of the Scholastic Steel Challenge.

The academy’s three registered squads placed first, fourth and fifth in the challenge.