Columbia EE, West Point, and Keysight Bring RF “Fox Hunting” to Campus

On Sunday, April 26, Columbia Electrical Engineering partnered with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, with support from Keysight Technologies, to host a radio frequency “fox hunting” event on Columbia’s Morningside campus.

Part technical workshop, part campus-wide competition, the event introduced students to the fundamentals of radio frequency engineering through a hands-on challenge: using professional measurement equipment to track down hidden transmitters, or “foxes,” placed around campus.

The day began with coffee and snacks before students gathered for an introductory lecture on RF concepts. The lecture was followed by a lab session, where participants learned how to use handheld spectrum analyzers and other tools to detect, interpret, and follow radio signals. After a short preparation session, students set out across campus for the fox hunt, working in teams to locate transmitters within a one-hour window.

“We were very excited to work on this together with Keysight and the U.S. Military Academy,” said Ioannis “John” Kymissis, Kenneth Brayer Professor of Electrical Engineering and Vice Dean for Infrastructure and Innovation at Columbia Engineering. “I think it was a great opportunity both to introduce our students to each other and to also have a fun experience while developing useful technical skills.”

Fox hunting, a long-standing amateur radio activity, offers a practical way to teach students about signal propagation, antennas, spectrum analysis, and measurement. By turning those concepts into a search-and-discovery exercise, the event helped students connect classroom theory with real-world engineering practice.

The collaboration also created an opportunity for students from Columbia and West Point to learn alongside one another while exploring the tools and techniques used in RF engineering, wireless systems, communications, and sensing.

“This fox hunt sparked considerable interest in wireless communications and provided a great introduction to RF direction-finding techniques and RF test and measurement equipment,” said Harris A. Ransom, an electrical engineering PhD student. “As an amateur radio enthusiast and student researcher, I enjoyed applying my knowledge and skills to this fun challenge.”

Following the competition, organizers reviewed the results over lunch, recognized the top-performing teams, and led a discussion about what students observed during the hunt, from signal strength and directionality to the challenges of tracking radio signals in a dense urban campus environment.

The event reflected Columbia EE’s broader commitment to hands-on engineering education and cross-institutional collaboration, giving students a lively introduction to technical skills that are increasingly important across wireless communications, chip design, defense technology, and connected systems.

“It’s great to see around 50 students from Columbia and West Point come out on an early Sunday morning to sink their teeth into a fun technical challenge,” said Mohammad Qadir, account manager at Keysight Technologies. “There’s nothing like gaining theoretical and practical knowledge through a fun, competitive exercise while making new connections along the way.”

More photos from the event can be found here.