Courtesy Photo | A workshop attendee prepares to test his paper glider at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA)...... read more read more
ANNAPOLIS – Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) coordinators and leads from the Department of Navy’s (DoN) Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) visited the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in October 2024 to participate in specialized STEM outreach training. The workshop, which was led by the Naval Academy’s STEM Center for Education and Outreach, provided SSP employees with a new approach and set of ideas to inspire interest in STEM careers for K-12 students.
SSP, headquartered at the Washington Navy Yard in the District of Columbia, has an expansive footprint across the country and in the United Kingdom. Stateside however, it’s Field Activities such as Strategic Weapons Facility, Atlantic (SWFLANT) in Kings Bay, Georgia, and Strategic Weapons Facility, Pacific in Bangor, Washington, maintain an active presence with its local community. The command, which is led by SSP Director Vice Adm. Johnny Wolfe Jr., is keen on recruiting the brightest minds across the technical field; and for SSP’s STEM and Outreach Program Office that starts at the grassroots level.
“STEM teaches kids real-world application to what they are learning,” Caren Spahr said, the SWFLANT Continuous Improvement Coordinator. “When students see a direct relationship from something that interests them to an actual career, it helps them focus their studies. So many students and teachers are unaware of all the related careers they can pursue, including jobs that support the government. STEM demos, like the ones we do with elementary and middle schools, show children how our work in the defense sector is related to their curriculum.”
USNA’s STEM Center is focused on providing STEM outreach to local and national communities, including those that are underserved, to influence students and teachers in the engineering design process. The center is addressing an urgent Navy need in recruiting more young people to pursue careers in STEM professions.
“STEM engagement helps level the playing field for children,” Spahr said. “Many of them, especially in the Title I schools, don't have access to learning outside of school hours. Some have parents who are so busy trying to put food on the table that they don't have time, money or energy to involve them in these subjects. It is critical, now more than ever, that we invest in these children, especially with technology growing faster every year. The more exposure we can give them and the more resources we can provide to teachers will equip students to thrive.”
The workshop at the Naval Academy was an opportunity for SSP STEM leaders like Spahr to learn hands-on defense-related STEM activities they can bring with them to the classroom. Some examples included rusting a dog tag, creating a long-range paper glider, and manipulating artificial intelligence to aggregate images. These activities are specifically designed to introduce students to several engineering disciplines such as electrical, aeronautical, mechanical, and biological, and use affordable, low-cost materials for assembly projects.
SSP personnel also used the offsite training, which they attend almost every year, to collaborate with other STEM leaders within DoN and learned how to independently lead these activities for a classroom. According to David Aragon, the Flight Systems Command Liaison, the lessons learned at the workshop will support SSP personnel transfer knowledge of these activities to the teachers and enable better STEM learning for all students.
“This experience directly impacts SSP's ability to engage with teachers and children and local communities by placing all who attended on the same sheet of music and creates a wider STEM network throughout the Navy,” Aragon said. “We shared our mission at the workshop and where we come from – along with what we are trying to accomplish. It was great to form a connection with other Navy STEM personnel that we wouldn't normally have the opportunity to engage with in our hometowns.”
Today, SSP’s STEM leaders are taking a proactive step in training their future workforce by hosting field trips and supporting science-based school events year-round. The team’s main goal is to expose K-12 students to real technological problems that can be solved in the classroom and demonstrating how it translates to Navy application. According to Aragon, some of these technical projects include assembling a robot ball and creating an obstacle course for it to travel through or putting together a virtual world using programing applications, which ignites curiosity, exploration, and creativity.
For the command, one of the most important things to understand in continuous STEM learning is how the students and teachers interact with the material.
“Our STEM engagement leads develop relationships with base-area STEM educators and schools on how to establish and grow STEM-focused education programs,” SWFLANT STEM Engagement Lead Jeffrey Brewer said. “Our main objective is to leverage the existing programs within the schools and support teachers. Receiving feedback from the educators gives us critical information to improve STEM curriculum for future generations.”
By creating accessible STEM programs for students within the SSP communities, there is hope it will create a lasting impact that will influence them to think about careers within the Department of Defense.
“Years ago I was told that ‘kids don't care what you know - they care that you care,’” Spahr said. “These kids will remember that someone who works with missiles and submarines came to their school and showed them some cool stuff. They will remember that they did something clever. They will remember that we cared, and they might just want to work for an organization that represents those values.”
SSP takes a proactive approach to succession planning by connecting STEM outreach directly to its talent pipeline. This includes senior leadership, developmental employees, and student interns becoming involved in SSP’s local ecosystem to promote the mission of the organization. According to Dr. Greg Bouton, the SSP STEM Action Officer, this continuity helps strengthen the program’s relationship with its community and people.
SSP is the Navy command that provides cradle-to-grave lifecycle support for the sea-based leg of the nation’s nuclear triad. The command provides training, systems, equipment, facilities and personnel responsible for ensuring the safety, security, and effectiveness of the nation’s Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) Trident II (D5LE) Strategic Weapon System.
| Date Taken: | 11.26.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 11.26.2024 11:18 |
| Story ID: | 486173 |
| Location: | MARYLAND, US |
| Web Views: | 61 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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