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Students Experience JBA
STEAM Aerospace Summit
by U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Daekwon Stith
March 22,
2023
Future engineers, scientists and inventors
from local area schools filled the bay area of hangar three on March
9, 2023, for the 5th Annual Aerospace Summit at Joint Base Andrews
(JBA), Maryland.
Sponsored by
the Patriots Training Technology Center, JBA's Science, Technology,
Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) annual event is an opportunity
for young students to learn about the many facets of aviation
careers and operations, while sparking curiosity with aircraft tours
and exciting competitions.
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Students from Prince George's County, Maryland examine a
medical test manikin during the Annual Aerospace Summit at
Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on March 9, 2023. The summit
featured 14 Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math
related workshops for the students to experience. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Air
Force photo by Senior Airman Daekwon Stith.)
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JBA’s STEAM program has positively
impacted more than 18,000 K-12 students since 2017 through events
such as field trips to airshows, high school mentoring programs,
participating as judges in local school science fairs and hosting
the annual Aerospace Summit at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.
This year, multiple
organizations were involved including NASA partners and other U.S.
military branches such as the Army and Coast Guard.
“Our
goal here today is to show you more about aviation and aerospace and
that everyone from Army to Navy and even our civilian counterparts
[have opportunities in aviation],” said U.S. Army Col. Louis Patrick
Hawkins, 29th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade commander.
When opening remarks finished, students were broken up into
groups to participate in 14 different workshops, each showing their
unique involvement with the STEAM program. From air traffic control
simulations to building military-grade ships and drone test flights,
students had a multitude of careers to experience hands-on.
Tamilore Adebiyi, a Duval High School sophomore, commented, “Trying
out the drone test definitely reconfirms that this is what I want to
do coming out of high school.”
JBA’s STEAM program supports
the Accelerate Change or Lose mentality and is just one of the many
ways to be ready for tomorrow's challenges.
“The program
allows us to garner potential student interest in military STEAM
career fields,” said Kristofer Zimmerman, 316th Wing Community
Planning Liaison and STEAM coordinator. “In order to be ready for
today’s workforce development challenges and tomorrow’s missions, we
need to take the initiative now.”
After a brief lunch break,
students participated in competitions to put their drone flying,
computer flight simulator, and air traffic control skills to the
test. Winners were announced at the end of the event by U.S. Air
Force Col. Todd E. Randolph, 316th Wing and installation commander.
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Scenes at the the Annual Aerospace Summit at
Joint Base Andrews, Maryland on March 9, 2023 ... Top - A
student flies an aircraft simulation and (bottom) U.S. Army air traffic controllers showcase a simulation of their job to students. More than 300 students had the opportunity to participate in 14 activities related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics careers. (Image
created by USA Patriotism! from U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Daekwon Stith.)
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After announcing winners and thanking all the volunteers for
contributing to the event this year, Randolph left the students with
a few final words. “Be bold, be innovative and be creative!”
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