October 1, 2026
At the Civil-Military Innovation Institute (CMI2), interns do more than learn about innovation. They help drive it.
For Kadence Greenfield, an intern with CMI2’s Design Innovation Group (DIG) in Morgantown, West Virginia, that means taking lessons learned in the field and applying them to the development of practical solutions.
In September, Greenfield joined CMI2’s team at Smoky Hill Air National Guard Range near Salina, Kansas, for the final fiscal year 2026 Rapid Operational Innovation Detachment (ROID) Driving Innovation in Realistic Training (DIRT) Days event.
Working alongside Soldiers, engineers, researchers, and technology developers, Greenfield gained hands-on experience supporting tactical field validation of emerging technologies. Her responsibilities included setting up projects and collecting flight and audio data for participating technology partners, contributing to CMI2’s efforts to assess system performance, gather operational insights, and inform future research and development.
But her experience didn’t end when the field event concluded.
While supporting ROID DIRT Days, Greenfield identified an opportunity to improve the crash protection of an existing component. Rather than simply noting the limitation, she proposed a potential solution.
Since late September, Greenfield has been designing, prototyping, and testing her concept, applying her engineering skills to turn an observation made in the field into a practical solution.
Her initiative reflects the approach to innovation that CMI2 champions: identifying real-world challenges, developing solutions, and testing ideas to improve technology performance.
Building the Next Generation of Innovators
Through its Design Innovation Group, CMI2 provides student interns with opportunities to contribute directly to engineering, research, prototyping, and technology development projects supporting real operational needs.
Interns work alongside experienced engineers and technical professionals, gaining practical experience while contributing fresh perspectives and ideas to ongoing projects.
Greenfield’s experience demonstrates the value of that approach. What began as an opportunity to support a tactical validation event evolved into an independent engineering effort driven by her own observations and initiative.
That’s Innovation in the Dirt® in action.
At CMI2, internships are more than opportunities to build technical skills or gain professional experience. They empower aspiring engineers to identify challenges, take ownership of ideas, and contribute to solutions that can make a difference.
And as Greenfield is demonstrating, the next great idea doesn’t always come from years of experience. Sometimes, it starts with an intern willing to ask, “What if we could make this better?”
Learn more about the CMI2 DIG.
