CyberGuide Highlight: William Neumeier
eCYBERMISSION CyberGuides are the unsung heroes of many students' projects, as they provide advice, mentorship, and inspiration to students in their eCYBERMISSION journey. Whether they're biologists, aerospace engineers, software developers, or something else entirely, CyberGuides represent the vast opportunities that exist in the world of STEM. Recently, we chatted with CyberGuide and U.S. Army Research Psychologist, Captain William Neumeier, to learn more about his career in STEM, how he embodies selfless service, and get his best advice for students pursuing STEM.
I am a member of the United States Army, and my specific job title within the U.S. Army is Research Psychologist. As a Soldier and a Research Psychologist, I am responsible for a number of tasks. Most importantly and as stated in the oath of every Soldier, “I support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies.” I am charged with learning and training on military related tasks and developing myself into the best possible leader of my fellow Soldiers. Also, the Army provides me the opportunity to utilize my research training in efforts to advance the capabilities of the U.S. military. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, whether it be conducting novel experiments, engaging with leaders, assisting in the development of a new tool, and/or guiding others to accomplish the same.
What is a typical day like at your job? What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is interacting with my fellow Soldiers and doing my best to be a positive mentor in their life. I enjoy training and problem-solving as a member of a team, and I hope to guide others towards successfully progressing their career, both in science and the military.
As the Detachment Commander, my typical day is spent planning, overseeing, and executing events for my team that allows them to be successful with their missions. I provide resources, work towards identifying and overcoming obstacles, and maintain accountability of tasks that we have been assigned. Overall, my daily mission is to help each Soldier be successful in his/her support of our larger mission, which is to optimize the health and performance of the Warfighter.
You spent over ten years studying psychology, primarily as it relates to exercise and health. Can you tell us a bit about your academic journey? What led you to choose this field and what was it like studying it throughout your academic career?
I was always interested in gaining an understanding into human behavior and was fascinated by the factors that influence our actions. I specifically became drawn to a focus on sports/performance psychology through playing sports myself as well as through my training in martial arts. One task in martial arts is to break a wooden board using a kick, punch, or other technique. In order to prepare for board breaking, not only would we practice the specific technique, but we would visualize the board as already broken. Then, when we would try to actually break the board, there would be times when the person did not successfully make it break. We would pull the individual aside and ask them to mentally focus on the technique and continue to visualize a successful board break. More often than not, this visualization would result in the board being successfully broken on the next try. I was amazed how nothing about the person that broke the board would physically change in this series of events; it was purely mental.
I was then fortunate to study Psychology through undergrad, work with a Psychologist after getting my degree, and then be accepted into graduate school. During my graduate school work, I received amazing mentorship from a psychologist and an exercise physiologist, which allowed me to blend my passions and interests.
eCYBERMISSION is all about students making a positive impact in their community through STEM. How has your work in research psychology made a positive impact on others, and how has that motivated you to continue working in STEM?
One of the best parts about research is your efforts are directed towards advancement, and time after time, human history has benefitted from scientific advance. For me, the military provides a rewarding metric of my efforts. My goal is to conduct research and advancement that helps and improves the life of a Soldier. This Soldier has made sacrifices so that we do not have to, such as travelling to a foreign land, working long hours, or perhaps risking their own life. I want to give that Soldier every advantage I possibly can so that they have the best chance at being successful. I hope this then leads to a better life for all of us that are fortunate to live in the United States.
Volunteering:
How did you learn about the eCYBERMISSION CyberGuide program and why did you decide to join?
I received an email asking for volunteers. One of my personal core principles is mentorship – I try to be the best mentor for others and also teach them how to become a mentor. This seemed like an amazing opportunity to utilize my skillset to mentor the younger generation.
What has been your most rewarding experience as a CyberGuide?
Definitely interacting with the students. Any chance I get to interact with students and answer questions is a lot of fun!
eCYBERMISSION is not the only place you routinely volunteer, you also have been working with Team Red, White, and Blue for many years. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Team Red, White, and Blue (Team RWB) is an organization that aims to assist military personnel in their transition to a life outside of the military. In addition, Team RWB aims to build a gap between the military and non-military. What I love the most is Team RWB accomplishes a large portion of their mission through shared physical activity. Working out together and conquering a hard physical challenge is a shared bond in the military, and doing the same with people in our neighborhood(s) strengthens those bonds. Team RWB has been incredibly generous to me, I have built friendships through the organization, and I hope to pay it forward and do the same.
One of the Seven Core Army Values is selfless service, something that you clearly embody through your work. Can you share a bit about why you believe selfless service is so important and how you believe students can embody that value in their lives?
Thank you!
Selfless service is about doing something for your teammates and not just for yourself. There are a lot of times when you may not feel like doing something on your own, but knowing you can do something to benefit your teammate, your friend, can motivate you to continue and try harder than you would have on your own. I encourage students to try their best because they want to help their teammates.
Advice:
Research is a challenging, often painstaking, process, and there is no guarantee that your experiment will yield positive results. How do you handle failure in a professional or scientific capacity?
Remember, research is a shared experience completed in order to advance knowledge. Even if your experiment does not yield positive results, it is still generating knowledge. It is important to share what you know regardless of whether the results are positive or negative. In this way, you are still having a positive impact, and the best thing about research is your efforts are directly having a positive impact upon the rest of the world.
For many of our students, a STEM career can feel a very long way away. What can students do now to gain more experience in and grow their passion for STEM?
You’re currently doing the right thing! Keep going! Continue to seek opportunities that allow you to become more involved. Be proactive and do not be shy. You never know where an opportunity may lead. Keep asking questions. Asking questions and then finding the answer to them is exciting!
If you could give your middle school self one piece of advice, what would it be?
You’re doing great. Just keep trying your best. Ask yourself what you enjoy doing, whatever it may be, and then pursue it with unimpeded passion.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your time working with the U.S. Army?
That it’s not about me. It’s about what I can do to help others.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspective and answer our questions! To finish, we would love to open the floor to you to share anything else that you think will be impactful for students. Do you have any other advice or stories to share?
You’re doing great! Your parents and teachers believe in you! Make sure you tell them thank you and keep doing great things!
You spent over ten years studying psychology, primarily as it relates to exercise and health. Can you tell us a bit about your academic journey? What led you to choose this field and what was it like studying it throughout your academic career?
I was always interested in gaining an understanding into human behavior and was fascinated by the factors that influence our actions. I specifically became drawn to a focus on sports/performance psychology through playing sports myself as well as through my training in martial arts. One task in martial arts is to break a wooden board using a kick, punch, or other technique. In order to prepare for board breaking, not only would we practice the specific technique, but we would visualize the board as already broken. Then, when we would try to actually break the board, there would be times when the person did not successfully make it break. We would pull the individual aside and ask them to mentally focus on the technique and continue to visualize a successful board break. More often than not, this visualization would result in the board being successfully broken on the next try. I was amazed how nothing about the person that broke the board would physically change in this series of events; it was purely mental.
I was then fortunate to study Psychology through undergrad, work with a Psychologist after getting my degree, and then be accepted into graduate school. During my graduate school work, I received amazing mentorship from a psychologist and an exercise physiologist, which allowed me to blend my passions and interests.
eCYBERMISSION is all about students making a positive impact in their community through STEM. How has your work in research psychology made a positive impact on others, and how has that motivated you to continue working in STEM?
One of the best parts about research is your efforts are directed towards advancement, and time after time, human history has benefitted from scientific advance. For me, the military provides a rewarding metric of my efforts. My goal is to conduct research and advancement that helps and improves the life of a Soldier. This Soldier has made sacrifices so that we do not have to, such as travelling to a foreign land, working long hours, or perhaps risking their own life. I want to give that Soldier every advantage I possibly can so that they have the best chance at being successful. I hope this then leads to a better life for all of us that are fortunate to live in the United States.
Volunteering:
How did you learn about the eCYBERMISSION CyberGuide program and why did you decide to join?
I received an email asking for volunteers. One of my personal core principles is mentorship – I try to be the best mentor for others and also teach them how to become a mentor. This seemed like an amazing opportunity to utilize my skillset to mentor the younger generation.
What has been your most rewarding experience as a CyberGuide?
Definitely interacting with the students. Any chance I get to interact with students and answer questions is a lot of fun!
eCYBERMISSION is not the only place you routinely volunteer, you also have been working with Team Red, White, and Blue for many years. Can you tell us a bit about that?
Team Red, White, and Blue (Team RWB) is an organization that aims to assist military personnel in their transition to a life outside of the military. In addition, Team RWB aims to build a gap between the military and non-military. What I love the most is Team RWB accomplishes a large portion of their mission through shared physical activity. Working out together and conquering a hard physical challenge is a shared bond in the military, and doing the same with people in our neighborhood(s) strengthens those bonds. Team RWB has been incredibly generous to me, I have built friendships through the organization, and I hope to pay it forward and do the same.
One of the Seven Core Army Values is selfless service, something that you clearly embody through your work. Can you share a bit about why you believe selfless service is so important and how you believe students can embody that value in their lives?
Thank you!
Selfless service is about doing something for your teammates and not just for yourself. There are a lot of times when you may not feel like doing something on your own, but knowing you can do something to benefit your teammate, your friend, can motivate you to continue and try harder than you would have on your own. I encourage students to try their best because they want to help their teammates.
Advice:
Research is a challenging, often painstaking, process, and there is no guarantee that your experiment will yield positive results. How do you handle failure in a professional or scientific capacity?
Remember, research is a shared experience completed in order to advance knowledge. Even if your experiment does not yield positive results, it is still generating knowledge. It is important to share what you know regardless of whether the results are positive or negative. In this way, you are still having a positive impact, and the best thing about research is your efforts are directly having a positive impact upon the rest of the world.
For many of our students, a STEM career can feel a very long way away. What can students do now to gain more experience in and grow their passion for STEM?
You’re currently doing the right thing! Keep going! Continue to seek opportunities that allow you to become more involved. Be proactive and do not be shy. You never know where an opportunity may lead. Keep asking questions. Asking questions and then finding the answer to them is exciting!
If you could give your middle school self one piece of advice, what would it be?
You’re doing great. Just keep trying your best. Ask yourself what you enjoy doing, whatever it may be, and then pursue it with unimpeded passion.
What is the most important lesson you’ve learned in your time working with the U.S. Army?
That it’s not about me. It’s about what I can do to help others.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your perspective and answer our questions! To finish, we would love to open the floor to you to share anything else that you think will be impactful for students. Do you have any other advice or stories to share?
You’re doing great! Your parents and teachers believe in you! Make sure you tell them thank you and keep doing great things!
__________________________
We are so grateful to Captain Neumeier for taking the time to share his wisdom and expertise with us! eCYBERMISSION registration opens this fall and Mini-Grant applications are currently being accepted. Get involved by joining us for one of our two livestreams during the National Judging & Educational Event this June. Visit our YouTube channel and select "Notify Me" so you know when we go live!
Faith Benner
Sr. Communications and Marketing Specialist
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