From time to time, Ed Swallow hears a parent remark they were never good in math. The senior vice president of the Civil Systems Group at The Aerospace Corp. encourages a different approach.
“If you weren’t good at math, it’s OK to admit it, but the right way to end that sentence is, ‘I may not have been good at math, but let’s help you be better,’” he told an audience at the fifth annual K-12 STEM Symposium on April 14 at Nysmith School for the Gifted.
Facilitated by WashingtonExec and presented by Altamira Technologies Corp., the symposium aims to bring together leaders from government, academia, corporate, nonprofit and other sectors to strengthen the pipeline into the STEM workforce. Along with gold sponsor Vencore, silver sponsors Aerospace, CASIS and Jacobs Engineering Group helped make the event possible.
“This year’s STEM Symposium was better than ever — the students had even more fun, the speakers had great advice for students and parents, and everyone involved came away excited about the next generation of science engineering and math superheroes we are helping to create,” Swallow said.
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space manages the U.S. national laboratory portion of the International Space Station. CASIS Marketing and Communications Director Brian Talbot was on hand to interact with attendees, and former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman talked with students about her work on the space station.
“The 2018 K-12 STEM Symposium was a tremendous event that brought together students, families, educators and the tech community to celebrate STEM in an experience-filled environment,” Talbot said. “We were thrilled to bring the excitement of the International Space Station and Space Station Explorers student programs to this inspiring event.”
CASIS and ISS National Lab STEM resources are available at www.spacestationexplorers.org.
Jacobs provided support from several offices around the U.S. and had numerous displays and presentations at the symposium. They included 3D printers, technology used or designed for space, virtual reality experiences, and drone displays and discussions.
“The main point of discussion around these displays was how we use science and technology to solve business problems and challenges internally and for our clients,” said Vincent Mihalik, director of Jacobs Connected Enterprise strategy.
The company is one of the world’s largest providers of full-spectrum technical, professional and construction services with clients in more than 25 countries.
“The passion of the students for science and technology was impressive, and our future will certainly be in good hands,” Mihalik said. “The event was personally and professionally rewarding for each of our staff members, as we were afforded the opportunity to interact face-to-face with the next generation of scientists and engineers.”