The Tidewater Chapter of the Armed Forces Communication and Electronics Association International hosted its annual Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics event at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Oct. 22, 2024.
Over 100 students and family members attended the event, which featured several STEM exhibits created by elementary through high school students. Dr. Shelton Jacinto, Air Force Research Laboratory Technical Advisor to Air Combat Command’s Chief Scientist, attended the event and spoke about the importance of STEM and innovation, particularly in a world of ever-increasing technological competition.
“In the U.S., we have a great military because we have freedom, especially the freedom to think,” said Jacinto. “Our country ultimately leads through innovation because we support left and right-brain interaction and want our young students to be creative.”
To prepare the next generation for current and emerging threats the U.S. may face, the Department of Defense STEM Strategic Plan seeks to inspire community engagement in STEM education programs and activities to provide meaningful learning opportunities for students and educators.
The student projects presented at the event embodied that creativity. One design, “ArtiFISHal Intelligence,” featured a robotic fish that, through artificial intelligence, can track schools of fish and help scientists better understand the effects of global warming on marine life.
The event also featured three ACC pilots, Col. Henry “Schadow” Schantz, Lt. Col. Nicole Hudson and Lt. Col. Dana Lundy, who spoke about how STEM played an important role in each of their careers. Schantz, a former F-22 Raptor Demonstration Team pilot, mentioned why STEM is important for the future of the Air Force.
“STEM is exciting; it helps get our military where we need to be,” said Schantz. “From cyber [warfare], electronic warfare, communications and satellites, capabilities are always changing, and STEM helps us to learn to take a problem, look at it, find a solution, and if that doesn't work, move on to the next solution.”
Officially formed in 1946, AFCEA is a professional association that connects people, ideas and solutions through networking and educational opportunities. These connections enable the government, military, industry and academia to develop technology to best meet the needs of the defense, security, cyber and intelligence industries.