When I Grow Up...

We can all remember a time in childhood when something clicked inside and we were on fire- our minds and our hearts knew what it was we were meant to do when we "grew up." There is something to be said when you witness that moment up close in the eyes of a child, that moment when a child, watching a rocket take off, states with innocent wonder and child-like determination - "I am going to build rockets when I grow up."

That split-second moment in time is the catalyst behind the Academy's Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach efforts. There is a dire future facing our nation's corps of scientists, engineers, mathematicians and technologists. Simply put, if the education and career trends of today continue, there will not be enough Americans in these fields for the technology, science, and defense needs of our future. Rising to meet the call of the President of the United States and the Department of Defense, the Academy has initiated a multi-disciplinary and multi-pronged approach to addressing the STEM needs of the nation and the local Southern Colorado region.

The Department of Aeronautics, led by Col Neil Barlow, hosts an annual educator summer seminar workshop and provides hands-on learning opportunities for teachers to take back into their classrooms. The department also welcomes elementary, middle, and high school students from across the region to tour their labs and participate in workshops and seminars.

Within the Astronautics Department, faculty instructors have organized countless tours for hundreds of students over the past academic year. Students are treated to videos, tours of the FalconSat ground operations center and the small museum that houses the FalconSat and FalconLaunch models as well as other space systems related artifacts. The department also supports the Academy's Summer Seminar program for high school students interested in pursuing STEM majors in college.

There are several organized STEM efforts within the Physics Department that are reaching out beyond the walls of Fairchild Hall and into the community at large. Through programs like Physics is Phun, Girls in the Middle, and STEM at the Observatory every year, thousands of students are exposed to and offered opportunities to explore science, astronomy, and physics. Physics is Phun has visited dozens of schools and classrooms regionally, Girls in the Middle has reached middle school girls across the Southern Colorado region and has offered them learning and networking opportunities around the country, and STEM at the Observatory has brought hundreds of students, Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts troops to the Academy Observatory to work with cadets and local astronomy clubs and to learn about the solar system and our broader space mission.

The Department of Chemistry, led by Col Mike Van Valkenburg, has reached thousands of students, teachers, and STEM professionals working across the Department of Defense. Working with many local area non-profits, such as CoolScience and the Girl Scouts of Colorado, the Department of Chemistry exposes

students of all ages and experiences to the basics of engineering, chemistry, rocket science, mathematics, physics, and more. Activities such as the Chemistry Magic Show, "Bungee" Barbie®, and Fun with Acids and Bases create fun, multi-disciplinary challenges for the students. Adults who are treated to the Chemistry Magic Show are reminded of the wonder of science and their desire to understand the world around them.

As part of the broad national effort to address the nation's STEM needs, the Academy's Office of the Chief Scientist and Director of Research obtained grants authority in 2010 and working with the Office of the Secretary of Defense's National Defense Education Program (NDEP), provided a grant of $215,000 to the Colorado Consortium for Earth and Space Science Education (CC ESSE).

"Performing research allows cadets to Comprised of several regional education and non-profit STEM organizations including the Challenger Learning Center of Colorado, Project Lead the Way, CoolScience, and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, CC ESSE is leveraging this grant to provide teacher education workshops such as the three-day Space Technology Applications Reaching Students (STARS) and the first Academy STEM Boot Camps, provide scholarships to students to participate in regional STEM education activities such as the Challenger Learning Center of Colorado's summer camps and school-year missions, and to provide funds to maintain CoolScience programming opportunities. "By encouraging proven educational organizations to work together, the big winners will be the students," said CC ESSE board member Vivian Teets.

The Academy, with its decades of building our nation's STEM professionals and Air Force leaders, stands ready to expand its role in this national and regional STEM education issue. We are looking for and investing in regional STEM solutions that will offer valuable lessons and a path forward for other communities across the country.

STEM PROJECTS FOR KIDS

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