Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Tawny Kruse | High School Students from Harlan Community High School, in Harlan, Iowa, and Davis...... read more read more
High school students visited Camp Dodge, in Johnston, Iowa for the Iowa National Guard’s inaugural STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Day event Sept. 20. Approximately 40 students spent Wednesday with Soldiers and Airmen, learning about science, technology, engineering and mathematics applications in the military.
Harlan Community High School and Davis County Community High School – the first two schools to participate in what the Guard hopes to be a quarterly program – each invited high school students in their STEM or career technical programs to attend the field trip.
Dan Maeder, superintendent of Davis County Community School District in Bloomfield, and the battalion commander of the Iowa Army National Guard’s 224th Brigade Engineer Battalion in Cedar Rapids, said STEM Day was a chance for him to make a connection between his civilian life and his military service.
“I’d be happy to bring my perspective as a school superintendent and a Guard soldier to help make this a successful program for the Guard and our schools as well,” Maeder said.
Justin Wagner, superintendent of Harlan Community Schools and the Iowa National Guard’s Vice Chief of the Joint Staff, was similarly positioned to help get the first event off the ground.
While at STEM Day, students toured the Iowa National Guard’s Sustainment Training Center, a state-of-the-art facility where they learned about plasma cutting, metallurgy and calculating amperage. They also visited the Black Hawk Aircrew Trainer, a flight simulator using real UH-60M “Black Hawk” controls and technology to recreate challenges faced by helicopter pilots, and the Medical Simulation Training Center, where combat medics are assessed on their ability to treat casualties by treating technologically-sophisticated mannequins that breathe, bleed and react to touch.
“One of the most important things we can do is find applications for what kids learn every day in school,” Wagner said. “This STEM Day here is just one example of what we try to engage our kids in: partnerships that really try to take what the kids are learning in the classroom and apply it to real world scenarios.”
Students were also able to watch actual Black Hawk helicopters practice sling load maneuvers, see an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) demonstration, and test their skills with one of the Iowa Air National Guard’s intelligence analysts.
Staff Sgt. Beth Rodas, a geospatial intelligence analyst with the Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Group (ISRG) at the 132nd Wing, Iowa Air National Guard in Des Moines, gave students a presentation on how to identify aircraft, submarines and tanks in satellite imagery. After her class, she tested students’ ability to decipher actual photographs in a timed game that resulted in prizes for the high schoolers.
“I want them to understand that the state of Iowa wants you to stay here,” Rodas said. “We want you to be invested in your school, and we want you to stay in those STEM career fields.”
As a member of the STEM Outreach Program at the ISRG, Rodas spends a lot of time visiting high schools and colleges to talk about how she utilizes STEM for the military.
“I’m an educator,” Rodas said. “I’m not trying to get you to join [the Guard]. Ultimately, I’d love to have more people in the Guard; I love it, that’s why I’m doing it. But I’m not a recruiter.”
Rodas partnered with several other Soldiers and Airmen to help plan Camp Dodge’s STEM Day. In the past year, the Iowa National Guard has put an emphasis on STEM outreach as Maj. Gen. Timothy Orr, the Adjutant General, has joined the governor’s STEM council.
“From the Guard’s perspective, I’m excited about it because there’s a misconception out there in many communities that the National Guard is full of door-kickers and infantry shooters and killers,” Maeder said. “The reality is that’s only a small part of our force. We are full of other opportunities for people who may need some assistance to where they want to go in their life.”
As for the students, STEM Day was a hit. Maggie Koke, a senior at Harlan Community High School, said she was surprised to learn how much STEM plays a role in the military’s day-to-day operations.
“I definitely learned a lot more than I’ve ever known and I definitely think it will be a great opportunity for other kids,” Koke said.
Although seeing the helicopters was cool, Koke said her favorite parts were experiencing the Humvee Egress Assistance Trainer – a simulator used to recreate the experience of a vehicle rollover – and the Engagement Skills Trainer – a simulator, similar to a video game, used for weapons training.
“I definitely understand more of what the [military] does with all the STEM applications,” Koke said. “I knew it was a lot of STEM and stuff, but I didn’t realize the extent of what they were using the technology for training.”
With the first STEM Day in the books, the Iowa National Guard hopes to continue the program several times throughout the school year to host schools and students from around the state.
“This is just the beginning,” Rodas said.
| Date Taken: | 09.20.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.21.2017 16:55 |
| Story ID: | 249152 |
| Location: | IA, US |
| Web Views: | 184 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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