Team members from Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Lakehurst (NAWCAD LKE) recently volunteered their time to get local fifth-grade students excited about the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) as part of the nationwide Science and Technology Academies Reinforcing Basic Aviation and Space Exploration (STARBASE) program.  

This was the first full year of the program at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, with certified instructors using hands-on activities and technology to show the young students how these fields impact the military today and in the future.  

Program director Christina Fletcher said there are 78 STARBASE programs in 34 states and two territories. As part of the program, students get 25 hours of instruction and a firsthand look at how the work applies at the military base. On one tour, Fletcher said one of the students told her she "didn't know that you can have so much fun while you're learning stuff." As a new program just getting started, she said reactions like that excited her for the future.  

"I realized that sometimes students don't know what's out there and what's even available to them. So, it's exciting to be able to broach these subjects and have them experience some of these things that they didn't know was even possible or speak to engineers who can talk about their jobs, or logisticians who can say, oh, this is what I do,” Fletcher said.  And so it's exciting to be able to expose them to some of these things and let them start thinking about how this can affect their lives and how they can start planning for their future.”  

Matt Pagliaro, a logistics management specialist currently doing a rotation as an integrative product lead in the Visual Landing Aids division at NAWCAD LKE, said his interest in the program started last year when his daughter Anna was part of the initial group to participate at the joint base.

Pagliaro noted the students' interest in his presentations grew when he talked about his work aboard aircraft carriers, especially in light of the recent Top Gun movie.  

"We tell them this is a real-world challenge we have in the Navy that our engineers and logisticians have to solve if there's a problem with lighting, low lighting or low visibility on an aircraft carrier. What can we do to make it better for the pilots to help them land at night," Pagliaro said, adding that the students have a chance to come up with their own solutions to the problem. "They share the idea with the class, and they're really excited to go through the process," he said. 

Kristina Jones, a mechanical engineer with the Naval Packaging, Handling, Storage and Transportation Division at NAWCAD LKE, said STEM had been a personal passion since high school, so she was glad to have an opportunity to encourage today's students to get excited about the fields as well.  

"As a woman in STEM, I feel it's important to show the next generation of girls that engineering, and all STEM fields, are open to them," Jones said. "Exposure to STEM education, mentorship and representation are the best ways to inspire kids to pursue a STEM career." 

Jones said her presentations start with Navy trivia before beginning their activity to engage the students.  

"For my first presentation, we did an activity with paper airplanes to engage the students. It was a lot of fun but also very chaotic," Jones said. "With a full classroom, I think we definitely left an impression, even if we also left some paper airplanes lying around."  

Pagliaro, who served in the United States Marine Corps before joining the team at NAWCAD, said he is glad to have a career where he can use his daily experiences to get future scientists and engineers to pursue these critical fields.  

"You relate to them that this is not just an ordinary job. This is a job where team members and I have had to travel to different places and ships all over the world to implement changes needed by the fleet to keep operating," Pagliaro said. "We have younger engineers that can relate to the younger kids who are willing to come and present and talk to them. And they can see that, yeah, we're just regular people that are working for the Navy and making a difference. And maybe they can one day too."  

Fletcher hopes next year's program will include more students and volunteers to share their knowledge.