The free event gave local students the opportunity to engage and be inspired by all things STEM — or science, technology, engineering and math. It also enabled them to learn about the newest iteration of the Naval Horizons student essay contest — organized by the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) Naval STEM Coordination Office, located at the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
Two middle school-aged children knelt next to a pair of life-like mannequins — one a full-body figure, the other a lower torso with its right leg severed below the knee, complete with bleeding.
With encouragement from Sailors manning the booth, the kids attempted to perform CPR and apply a tourniquet as another Sailor studied a sophisticated computer-simulation system showing detailed vital signs for the mannequins, in order to ensure the would-be medics were doing their jobs correctly.
The mannequins were part of a booth hosted by Walter Reed National Military Medical Center’s Department of Simulation, in partnership with the Department of the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery (BUMED).
“Events like this are outstanding because they generate wide interest in what the Navy does and enable the future generation to see our diverse career paths and potentially envision themselves as a part of it,” said Capt. Fredora “Toni” McRae, Navy Medicine Diversity, Equity and Inclusion director, BUMED.
The Walter Reed booth was one of many fun, interactive displays at the Navy League STEM Expo, held Sunday, April 7, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.
The free event gave local students the opportunity to engage and be inspired by all things STEM — or science, technology, engineering and math. It also enabled them to learn about the newest iteration of the Naval Horizons student essay contest — organized by the Department of the Navy’s (DoN) Naval STEM Coordination Office, located at the Office of Naval Research (ONR).
Hosted by the Navy League STEM Institute, the Expo was geared toward students in grades five through 12. Along with offering attendees lots of hands-on activities, the event provided middle and high school students with an introduction to naval STEM careers and educational opportunities.
Representatives from the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and naval-related industries shared their experiences and talked about STEM careers and the qualifications needed for various STEM jobs.
“Naval STEM presence at the Expo allows students, parents and educators to learn more about naval STEM opportunities through interactive demonstrations,” said Sandy Landsberg, who is both the Naval STEM Coordination Office executive and a division director in ONR’s Command, Control, Computing, Communications, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Targeting (C5ISRT) Department.
“I’m happy to say this was the biggest Navy League STEM Expo yet, with nearly 4,000 registered attendees, which shows how successful the event is at connecting with a diverse audience.”
Representatives at the DoN Naval STEM booth discussed the Naval Horizons outreach initiative with attendees. Naval Horizons is a STEM educational video series consisting of more than 55 videos highlighting scientists and engineers, including active-duty military personnel, working within the DoN. It aims to broaden the awareness of real-world science and technology challenges facing the Navy and Marine Corps today and help illuminate the many pathways to STEM careers.
Students may choose to learn about any topic in the complete video collection, which covers a variety of research areas — including biotechnology, epidemiology and public health, laser sensors, machine learning, microscopy, radiofrequency and antennas, space weather and more. In each video, naval scientists and engineers discuss the applicability of their work.
For the essay contest, high school and college students are invited to learn about naval research topics by watching the videos. They then are encouraged to submit an essay that explains how they’re inspired by naval research and the naval workforce — and provide a futurist vision of the Navy and Marine Corps.
The essay contest will close on Monday, June 10. Judges will select up to 5,000 winners, all of whom will be eligible to receive a $200 cash prize. Exceptional essays will be designated Naval Horizons Highest Honors and highlighted on the website at https://navalhorizons.us.
At the Expo, the DoN hosted multiple booths highlighting various naval labs, commands and warfare centers. Among these was the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, which brought its Mobile Digital Fabrication Laboratory, called FabLab, which specializes in 3D printing, laser cutting and other capabilities.
DoN booths included:
• Marine Corps Systems Command
• Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division
• Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command
• Naval Information Warfare Center Atlantic
• Naval STEM Coordination Office
• Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division
• Naval Research Laboratory
• Strategic Systems Programs
• U.S. Naval Academy STEM Center
• Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
“This STEM Expo is an engaging and important venue for opening young people to the potential of STEM careers — not just for our future naval workforce but for our nation as a whole,” said Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus, who also serves as the Naval STEM executive. “It’s vital that we harness the ideas, perspectives and energy of our future scientists and engineers, who will surely find innovative ways to deliver technology to the Sailors and Marines we have the privilege of serving.”
The Navy League of the United States is an educational and advocacy organization supporting U.S. sea services: the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. The STEM Expo helped kick off the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space Exposition, held April 8-10, which is the largest maritime expo in the United States.
Warren Duffie Jr. is a contractor for ONR Corporate Strategic Communications.