MABE Department Head Matthew Mench was recently part of a 20 person advisory team during a weeklong summer study designed to envision precious resource and energy needs over the next quarter century. The study was held at West Point Military Academy in New York and was conducted for the United States Department of Defense’s Office of Net Assessment (ONA). The ONA serves as a think tank for the Pentagon and looks a quarter century into the military’s future and produces reports on the results of its research that serve to advise and inform the Secretary of Defense. Mench was invited to this select group based on his expertise in emerging energy conversion and storage technology. “It was an amazing experience to be part of such a diverse group of individuals both in the military and civilian sectors. I was honored to be a part of such a distinguished group of individuals and experts from so many different fields. It is definitely a mind-opening experience to have to think 25 years into the future and try to predict these types of scenarios,” said Mench.