Alexandria Dwinell
SUCCESS STORIES > HACKING FOR DEFENSE
Alexandria Dwinell
Indiana University, H4D Fall 2022
Team Total Recall, Solving boredom and improving CBRN training
About Alexandria
Alexandria is currently a senior at Indiana University Bloomington pursuing a degree in International Studies with a concentration in Diplomacy, Security, and Governance in Europe and the US with a minor in Psychology and Italian Language Studies.
As part of the Hacking for Defense program at her university, Alexandria and her team, “Total Recall,” were tasked with improving chemical, biological, radioactive, and nuclear training (CBRN) at Ramstein Air Force Base. The team developed the idea of escape room-like training scenarios to pursue a better learning environment and higher retention rate of material. After observing that the existing training consisted of a 4-hour presentation and little to no hands-on instruction, Alexandria’s team recognized the need for a more interactive training module.
Currently, Team Total Recall is working to create a start-up with the help of their university, and has conducted basic test runs with the Air Force base, a training facility in New York, and the Indiana National Guard.
Alexandria is currently looking for internship and work-study opportunities in government agencies related to her passions.
Interview
Q: What career are you planning to pursue?
A: "I’ve actually been debating that question a lot. Policy is something I’ve been interested in, but currently I’m more interested in working on the human factor – human changes that need to be made in the policy realm. I learned a lot from my H4D experience that I can apply to my career aspirations, especially in regards to developing creative, viable ideas and solutions rather than just looking at existing policies. Specifically, I’m very passionate about helping combat human trafficking, and creating solutions for policy makers and law enforcement agencies in this realm.”
Q: What was the most memorable part of your H4 experience?
A: "Working with my teammates to create this product! We met every week to workshop and figure out what the main issue was rather than being satisfied with the initial problem statement. Conducting beneficiary discovery interviews with experts in the field was also a highlight, as I gained valuable networking skills. Our teaching team was very excited for our group’s progress and continues to be very supportive."