The Inland Empire (IE) Post recently hosted their 2nd annual STEM event at March ARB in October. More than 30 middle and high school students (about 1/2 of whom have at least 1 parent in the military. This years’ event coincided with a drill weekend, making it especially convenient.
“It was great to give back to the families of military kids.”
– IE Post President Lt. Col. Dan Barosso, who helped plan and execute the event
The students were placed into three (3) groups that rotated between the activities during the full day event. “Our goal is to engage middle and early high school students, helping them make the connection between subjects they have in school and future career opportunities in the Engineering disciplines.” Stated Lt. Col. Barosso. The event provided good exposure of the military culture to the attendees. LtCol Barosso oversaw the whole event but also ran the rocket building event, and the students saw first-hand the leadership skills that one acquires in military service. There were a couple other military engineers that were present to offer support and encouragement to the students. Having the event take place on-base also provided attendees with the opportunity to see what the inside of a military base looks like—and for some of the students, this was a first-time event. Presentations and hands on activities included constructing popsicle stick bridges (a STEM staple), building and launching air rockets, and learning about 3D printing applications which included designing and fabricating their own keychains.
“Observing kids with different backgrounds and interests come together and learn was very rewarding for the team of volunteers, adding weight to the bridges until they failed was the most exciting thing for the students!” Lt. Col. Barosso noted. “There was great feedback from the students and many thank-yous from the parents. The catered lunch by a local food truck was a big hit as well. We are glad to see this event growing and hope to reach 50-60 students next year.”
The post acknowledged that they were able to achieve all their goals for the event including:
Showcasing the importance and variety of STEM and future careers in the engineering and construction fields, supporting military families within the community, and promote leadership, collaboration, and innovation as essential skills to effective problem solving.
The Inland Empire Post was pleased to have provided their STEM event for the second time. The Post provided value to their members by exposing the students to opportunities in STEM and in the military. If there are any questions on how the Post executed the event, please feel free to reach out to Dan Barosso at daniel.barosso@us.af.mil or Jim Carter at jcarter@emaxlabs.com.
