Photo By Brandon Mejia | Scientists and engineers from Yuma Proving Ground hosted their water balloon...... read more read more
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In efforts to inspire the future workforce at U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), a team of engineers, scientists, program analysts, and team leads were sent to the nation’s capital to assist the Army’s educational outreach program known as eCybermission.
A weeklong convention where thousands of students from around the nation, sixth through ninth grade team up in groups of two to four and choose a real-world problem in their community to explore with the help of science, engineering, technology, and math (STEM).
“It is like a science fair on steroids,” said Paula Rickleff, YPG STEM Outreach Manager and GEMS coordinator. “They are solving real world problems that could be impacting those living on a local level or even national level.”
Fulfilling the weeklong agenda also includes an Army lab day where students engage with Army concepts from installations around the nation to show STEM is applied in everyday applications.
In doing so, YPG has been a part of lab day for the last eight years, engaging students with water balloon ballistics and vehicle acceptance labs from subject matter experts who work in the field at YPG exploring the same concepts.
Water balloon ballistics allows students to learn about indirect and direct firings, aerodynamics, and trajectory patterns by launching water balloons at distant targets using a slingshot-like system.
While done on a much smaller scale at the convention, it relates to what test officers continue to explore at YPG through long range precision test fires.
Sticking with Army modernization efforts, students get to see how vehicle acceptance concepts can even be applied to the remote-controlled vehicles they use in their labs to test its durability, speed, traction, and control.
“It’s focused on exposing the students to YPG and Army Test and Evaluation Command as an agency, and to let them know about the environmental testing and buildings our team conducts for the future,” said Janet Rios who is a manager analyst at YPG and heavily involved with the local STEM outreach programs. “The kids were very interested and were challenged in the labs.”
And while those who make the cut are only able to attend the national eCybermission competition, these same labs are offered during YPG’s summer program; Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS), a two week-long program that welcomes nearly 70 bright students from Yuma-area schools to engage in STEM through nearly 10 different labs.
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2022 16:44 |
| Story ID: | 426056 |
| Location: | YUMA PROVING GROUND, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 98 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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