Photo By Ronald Bailey | David Inguanzo, general engineer, Concept Analysis Laboratory, Technical Center, U.S....... read more read more
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REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama -- Many well-known names in Tennessee Valley education and engineering institutions came together at Redstone Arsenal for Adventures in Engineering, Oct. 15, to demonstrate to more than 200 high school juniors the exciting work and careers available in the federal government.
The purpose of the day’s activities is to promote science, technology, engineering and math disciplines as potential career choices to high school juniors from approximately 20 area high schools and homeschool organizations throughout the Tennessee Valley. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command served as one of the six venues students visited.
The students visiting USASMDC’s headquarters had face-to-face interactions and conversations with Army civilian engineers, scientists, mathematicians, and space operations Soldiers to gain understanding of the technologies the command works on and an understanding of the work environment Army STEM professionals operate in on a daily basis.
Mark McGuigan, division chief for USASMDC Technical Center’s Concepts Analysis Division, said Adventures in Engineering is a fantastic all-in-one-day opportunity for high school students to see a lot of different areas on Redstone Arsenal.
“The advantage of having high school students come out and visit with us rather than us going to them is that it gives them a lot of exposure to the daily working environment in our Army laboratories in a very short period of time,” McGuigan said. “That’s a very pivotal age for them as they try to figure out what their future careers might look like.”
He said USASMDC is privileged to participate in Adventures in Engineering and that the Technical Center purposefully set up more demonstrations and hands-on activities to make their visit more personal and interactive.
“They’re looking for inspiration and working for the government may not be as inspirational as it once was. When we look back on the Apollo program, for example, that was inspirational to young people of that generation, especially in the areas of space exploration and technology,” he said. “Today, commercialization of space may distract them from knowing about the role the government still plays in the space domain, and it is still a very significant one.
“We are in a high-tech area in North Alabama where a lot of engineers work so this is a great opportunity for them to come into government laboratories to see the work that’s done here and get a glimpse at the daily life for an Army engineer or scientist,” McGuigan said.
According to at least one student, that message came through very clearly.
“I didn’t realize how many types of engineers there are in the government,” said Kaylee Stafford, a Madison County High School junior. “I was already very interested in computer engineering, and it definitely helped encourage that.”
One of the presenters who engaged directly with students, Dr. Jason Kuszynski, a physical research scientist with the Concepts Analysis Laboratory at USASMDC, said it is a rare opportunity for students to come into organizations on Redstone Arsenal and see the technology and what they might be able to do in the future.
“I think there are a lot of people coming out of high school that don’t necessarily know what they want or are interested in,” Kuszynski said. “For some of them, I could kind of see their eyes opening up as we talked with them. I think us telling our own perspective gives them personal insight and shows them that there are many opportunities to work as an Army [civilian] scientist engineer right here in Huntsville.
Photo Set: https://www.flickr.com/photos/armysmdc/albums/72177720321304518
| Date Taken: | 10.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.18.2024 15:54 |
| Story ID: | 483418 |
| Location: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Hometown: | HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA, US |
| Hometown: | REDSTONE ARSENAL, ALABAMA, US |
| Web Views: | 88 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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