How can celebrities help raise awareness of STEM careers?
October 28th, 2008 By Matt Filed Under Big Idea Space
What would you ask a celebrity to do in order to help encourage students of all ages to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)?
The space community has broadly expressed the shortage of students graduating with STEM skills in order to become the scientists, engineers and technicians of the future. It has even been called a crisis.
Carrying this important message to young students is not without challenges. In an industry that traditionally does not produce many products directly for consumers, there is little focus on advertising. This results in the voice of the space community being overshadowed by the myriad commercial entities that are collectively vying for the attention of these young minds.
The entertainment industry, through the likes of the Star Wars franchise and movies like Iron Man, do provide some level of visibility to STEM careers. The space community has recognized Hollywood for raising awareness. In addition, the space enterprise community have also expressed, through the California Space Enterprise Strategic Plan 2007-2010, that a more direct endorsement of the value that STEM careers bring to society and our economy is needed.
The importance of addressing the STEM workforce issue is expounded by the current global economic crisis. Some celebrities have spoken out to share their solution to global economic woes but the Planetary Society’s Board of Directors has made a strong statement that “Space is not a luxury,” and carries with it long term economic benefit. They also make a convincing argument for the benefits derived from the inherently international community around space activity. But the benefits to be brought from space enterprise activity depend on a healthy aerospace workforce.
So, with this global issue in need of increased awareness, what is to stop celebrities from using their star power to bring some attention to it? How would you like to see star power applied to the STEM issue? A press conference? A book? A blog post? A benefit concert? A YouTube video? Interpretive dance?
Please use the comments to tell us what you think would be an effective way for celebrities to bring awareness of STEM careers to young students.
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Sometimes Workforce Development Is Rocket Science
October 22nd, 2008 By Matt Filed Under Industry Space, Student Space
MOJAVE, CA – Learn by doing has long been the motto of many California State University campuses and at the Long Beach campus (CSULB), that’s just what they are doing. In conjunction with Garvey Spacecraft Corporation (GSC) and the California Space Authority (CSA), 42 students from numerous campuses have successfully launched a 500 pound liquid-fueled rocket over the skies of the Mojave Desert. Funded by the US Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative, the project was heavily focused on demonstrating the effectiveness of ambitious hands-on opportunities in preparing the next generation of the nation’s technical workforce.
P-12A lifts off from the desert floor
“The space enterprise community has expressed the need for hands-on lessons that will teach to the workforce issues it faces,” stated Andrea Seastrand, Executive Director of CSA. “This exercise is exactly the type of opportunity to provide real-life, real-time learning.”
The rocket, known as Prospector 12A (P-12A) and developed by GSC and CSULB, carried payloads that were designed and developed by students of CSULB, Santa Clara University, Saratoga High School and the University of Kentucky. Their mission was to collect data about the rocket’s aerodynamic performance, the rocket’s trajectory, and to record video for further study.
“It was an exciting experience and learning process for these students and their mentors,” said Professor Bob Twiggs of Stanford University. “The Saratoga High School students asked me to say ‘thanks’ to the WIRED program for this opportunity.”
Recognizing the activity as an experience the students will remember, Dr. Eric Besnard, Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at CSULB, commented that “this launch represented the culmination of weeks of close collaboration between industry mentors, students and faculty and as a result its lessons about systems integration are all the more valuable.”
According to John Garvey of GSC, “this launch represents another important step in our long-term goal of developing a dedicated nanosat launch vehicle that can put these kinds of student payloads into orbit. The P-12A rocket reached an altitude of 3,000 feet before returning to earth.” All payloads survived the launch and returned intact and the student investigators were intensely focused on retrieving their hardware and data.
The P-12A student team
“To ensure we retain our leadership in the global space economy, it is imperative that we step up our workforce training efforts to fill the coming gap that will be caused by retirements from the existing workforce,” concluded Mrs. Seastrand. “It is exciting to know that CSA was instrumental in providing this highly relevant opportunity for students.”
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