UAH team makes STEM outreach visit to Guam as part of Missile Defense Agency Operation STEM 2024

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (OCT. 21, 2024) – A team of research engineers from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Research Institute travelled to Guam earlier this year with several colleagues to support a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) STEM outreach initiative called "Operation STEM - Guam 2024." UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, partnered with MDA, the armed forces and the Guam Department of Education to participate in almost two weeks of science, technology, engineering and math activities, providing hands-on demonstrations for over 2,500 K-12 students. The UAH team consisted of Hannah Edmonson, Myles Scarano, Dr. Matt Turner and Abigail Williamson.

"We have supported the MDA STEM Outreach Program for about a decade," Turner, a principle research engineer VI in the UAH Research Institute, says. "MDA decided to hold activities on Guam and asked us to help with planning and execution. It's awesome to have the opportunity to teach students about science, technology, engineering and mathematics. We have several STEM outreach and education programs that we've taken across the country, and it's always an honor to be even a small part of the students' educational growth. But being able to do this 15 time-zones away – that's a whole new level!"

Operation STEM-Guam 2024 participants included Guam Department of Education summer session students, JROTC cadets and child youth program attendees from Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam. The students had the opportunity to take part in indoor straw rocket activities, outdoor water rocket launches and a high-altitude balloon launch with a tracking system.

"Guam is wonderful," Scarano, a principle researcher engineer II, points out. "It's a tropical paradise, and the people are equally amazing. The island has been through a lot – they suffered a severe typhoon last summer and are still rebuilding. But the people's attitudes are very gracious and welcoming, even with all the frustration from the damage."

"Our work there was so rewarding," Williamson, a research engineer I, adds. "The light you see in a kid's eyes when they figure out how to accurately shoot their straw rocket at the target across the room is not something you forget. We especially want to thank the volunteers and teammates for their endless efforts to make Operation STEM what it was. It's an incredible feat to bring 37 schools together, and all of our volunteers had a hand in doing that."

The Department of Defense's (DOD) STEM strategic plan works to support a diverse and sustainable STEM talent pool ready to serve the nation and extend the DOD's competitive edge. Two particular goals of the initiative include increasing participation of underserved and underrepresented groups in STEM education and workforce development programs, activities and outreach, as well as attracting the nation's and DOD's current and future STEM workforce to educational and career opportunities that will increase the STEM population interested in careers related to fields like missile defense.

"We're also very excited to continue working with the Guam Department of Education," Edmonson, a research engineer II, notes in looking to the future of outreach for the island. "They will have classes working with us in the fall, with more following in the spring semester. We will also be working with three education classes at the University of Guam.

"They will be writing lesson plans for some of our STEM kits and mapping the kits to the Next Generation Science Standards. We think that will be an interesting partnership where we provide the technical experience, and they provide the pedagogy. We're very excited about continuing to work with students on Guam."