Rocketry, robotics and a little bit of flight simulation are just a few of the offerings at Columbus Air Force Base through its newest initiative.
The STARBASE youth program, which opened its new classroom facility Wednesday at CAFB, focuses on hands-on STEM experience for local fifth-graders in the Columbus Municipal and Lowndes County school systems. Classes from New Hope Elementary School, Caledonia Elementary School, Hunt Intermediate School and West Lowndes Elementary School will go through five weeks of STEM related courses over the course of the school year starting on Oct. 14.
“The mission here is elegantly simple,” said Col. James Blech, commander for the 14th Flying Wing Training Wing. “You’ve got to train pilots, and I train them at a world-class level to make sure that they’re able to do really difficult things later on. Part of that mission, though, involves inspiring the future generation to do that same job and so STARBASE, for me, is this really great opportunity for partnership, and it’s a great opportunity for inspiration.”
The two-classroom space, which was previously an arts and crafts facility on the base, has been a two-year development effort from CAFB and is meant to bring about a better understanding for what students can accomplish in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields, Blech said.
Students from the district will have access to computers, flight simulators, a 3D printer and other equipment for lessons that will range from an egg drop to different lessons on rocketry and robotics, Germaletta Brown, director for the STARBASE, told The Dispatch.
“(The) Department of Defense gives us a bank of curriculum … and so our staff has the opportunity to choose from different lessons,” she said. “… We’re in the process of ordering supplies and getting everything built for the students.”
The STARBASE aims to aid teachers in the local school system by giving a platform to schedule time to do more hands-on activities then they may have time for during the school year, said Devin Hill, a STARBASE instructor who has 23 years of experience in the Columbus Municipal School District.
“The lessons may have a different delivery, but it’s still the same basic concept,” Hill said. “And the great thing about it too is that a lot of times in the classroom, we want to do these hands-on engaging activities, and we try to work them in as much as possible, but there’s not always time because of the testing piece.”
Brown said the hope is for STARBASE to eventually expand lessons to additional area schools and perhaps bring in middle school students, too.
“The STARBASE is going to be as successful as the community supports it,” Brown said. “… I think it’s just a matter of (networking) and seeing what’s in the community and seeing what they have to offer to keep the kids motivated about coming to the program.”
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