(CRANE) – On February 21, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) hosted its first-ever STEM Day at Westgate Academy in Odon, Ind. This open house targeted to middle school and high school students highlighted various capabilities of NSWC Crane with hands-on demonstrations from Crane engineers and technicians.
Students participated in a catapult competition at NSWC Crane’s first-ever STEM day held at Westgate Academy in Odon.
Last year, Crane STEM programs reached more than 6,000 students and 100 teachers and 30 schools. With this single event, attended by more than 800 students and teachers, Crane reached 20 schools within the first two months of 2019 – more than half the number it reached in all of 2018.
Students in attendance participated in a counterfeit-detection activity at NSWC Crane’s first-ever STEM day held at Westgate Academy in Odon.
“We typically host tours on base for this age group, but our STEM program has grown so much that the demand for tours has increased past our capacity,” said Tina Closser, head of NSWC Crane’s STEM program. “We decided to host an open house where we can present our technology in approachable ways and relate it to their schoolwork.”
One of the biggest hits of the day was the counterfeit-detection and catapult competition. Teams able to detect the counterfeit item via microscope and launch the catapult the farthest won. This exercise covered projectile motion, materials composition, and engineering design skills.
800 students and teachers from 20 schools attended NSWC Crane’s first-ever STEM day. This open house, targeted to middle school and high school students, highlighted various capabilities of NSWC Crane with hands-on demonstrations from Crane engineers and technicians.
“Students aren’t graduating with STEM degrees in the numbers we need them right now,” said Closser. “Events like this are a great step in making students aware of the careers available right in their neighborhood. Having the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technicians to pass our knowledge on to is vital for the work we do here at Crane.”
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) with mission areas in Expeditionary Warfare, Strategic Missions and Electronic Warfare. The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multispectral, full life-cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability to today’s Warfighter.
