STEM
SAME is working to grow the next generation of our Nation’s technical leaders by supporting local Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) educational programs for kids in the K-12 educational system.
Mission: Our Post’s STEM Outreach mission is to promote and support pathways to STEM degrees and STEM careers for K-12 students as part of the national strategic effort to produce more STEM professionals for the nation.
Vision: The STEM Outreach Committee provides for the security of the nation by ensuring a robust STEM workforce.
Scope: K-12 students need to be exposed to STEM activities, degrees, and careers as they move up the academic ladder. Our Post committee works to increase opportunities for STEM exposure for K-12 students locally and be a local conduit for the Society’s regional and national STEM programming as resources allow.
Our Activities: In order to advance these goals our Post members support the following programs:
Engineering & Construction Camps for High School students
Each summer the Kittyhawk Post sponsors area high school students (rising Sophomores thru Seniors) to attend the SAME Engineering and Construction Camps. We also sponsor industry professional to attend the camps as mentors. The SAME camps, hosted at military installations around the country, are world-class and feature a very impressive record of producing thousands of engineers and STEM leaders. They provide a rigorous, hands-on, fun experience for students interested in exploring STEM skills and careers. Campers gain a sense of what it takes to become a STEM professional and what options exist to explore that interest from high school to college and beyond. Each camp has a unique curriculum that generally features hands-on activities conducted in a competitive environment that promote teamwork, leadership, project management, and problem solving.
If you are interested in more information and/or applying for the SAME engineering camps contact Shawn Moore.
Scholarships
It is the intent of the Kittyhawk Post to grant scholarships annually to encourage students in the Post’s region (Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky) to pursue careers in fields related to the Society’s mission – engineering, architecture, construction, facilities management and environmental management/science. The program is designed to cover all levels of post-high-school education to include associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees. The number and value of scholarships awarded may vary from year to year, but the total scholarship amount is typically in the $15,000 range, divided up among 8 to 12 recipients.
Learn more about our scholarships.
Science Fair Judging
Our members support local schools’ educational activities in science and engineering by providing judges for science fairs. Our Post members judge at District science fairs in the Dayton, Columbus and Cincinnati areas. Our Post also awards two prizes at the West District Science Fair annually:
- The Eric Su Yong Goltz Best Environmental Project
Award ($150) - Best Engineering Project Award ($150)
If you would like to contact our Post regarding judges please contact Shawn Moore. Note, you can also request judges from WPAFB via the base STEM Outreach office.
Stebbins High School Field Trip
For many years the Kittyhawk Post has supported the Engineering Program at Stebbins High School. The Post also plans a field day shortly after they are admitted to the program but before they are released for the summer. Typically supported by one or two of the sustaining members, the day features visits to architecture-engineering firms in the local area, a construction site visit on Wright Patterson Air Force Base and a visit to other base organizations.
TechFest
SAME Kittyhawk Post is a member of the Affiliate Societies Council (ASC), the consortium of technical professional societies that puts on TechFest each February at Sinclair Community College. The Kittyhawk Post provides financial support and volunteers to support the FREE event held at Sinclair College. SAME partners with ASCE to man the extremely popular “gumdrop construction zone” booth, which allows kids of all ages to build creations from their imagination out of gumdrops and toothpicks, while we also explained a few simple structural principles.
The TechFest features educational outreach to youth of the Miami Valley area and for students throughout Ohio through its program of STEM exhibits and interactions. The 70+ STEM exhibits are voluntarily manned/staffed by ASC members, like SAME and other sponsoring organizations, with common interests in cultivating engineering career paths for youth.
Techfest is held each Presidents Day weekend, is FREE to attend, and typically hosts 4000+ total attendees.
Other Opportunities
Our members are active in our community encouraging STEM in countless ways – Mathcounts, Engineer’s Week Demonstrations, Starbase, Scouting, Destination Imagination, FIRST Robotics are just a few. If you are looking for an engineer to speak in your classroom or to your group, please contact Shawn Moore and he may be able to match you with a SAME member.
Other Resources
The Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) Educational Outreach office has many more resources on their website, including STEM Programs and events, youth jobs on the base, job shadowing, camps, outreach events and materials, and scholarships. The office is not affiliated with SAME.
Several of our members are Wizards of Wright (WOW!), a program administered by the WPAFB Educational Outreach office. If you are an educator looking for an expert to visit your classroom, the WOW! program offers WPAFB experts to visit your classroom and present demonstrations and hands-on activities. Their goals include helping teachers meet STEM objectives in their curriculum, as well as introducing students to Air Force personnel and exciting STEM career ideas. Demos are typically limited to a 35 mile radius of WPAFB. They also have demonstration materials educators can use themselves, and offer WOW! TV (videos), and DIY activities. Visit the WOW! website for more information and contact information.
Communities of Interest
SAME’s Communities of Interest offer members a chance to engage nationally with other professionals focused on a particular technical field or demographic within joint engineering and the A/E/C industry.