The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division Orlando celebrated the opening of a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) outreach effort on April 12, 2022.  

The Department of Defense’s own youth STEM program, DoD STARBASE, recently opened one of its newest locations in the Partnership III Building adjacent to Naval Support Activity Orlando. Officially established in September 2021, STARBASE Central Florida STEM Academy is the first Navy-sponsored STARBASE to open in more than ten years.  

With support from Team Orlando partners, the new STARBASE which operates under agreement with the National Center for Simulation, opened its doors for the first teacher workshops on January 19, with students beginning classes in February.  

While NAWCTSD took the lead DoD role in applying to OUSD and ultimately contracting STARBASE Central Florida, all members of Team Orlando, including the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Stimulation Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), the Marine Corps’ Program Manager for Training Systems (PM TRASYS), and the Air Force’s Agency for Modeling and Simulation (AFAMS) are collaborating to support this effort.  Uniformed and civilian teammates will share their firsthand experiences, knowledge, and expertise to educate and inspire students about STEM. 

On April 12, 2022, the first three classes of cadets consisting of 61 fifth graders from the Orlando Gifted Academy graduated. The accomplishment was celebrated with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony attended by Michael J. O’Toole, Director, Civil Military Programs, Staff Assistant to the Office of Under Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, who thanked everyone involved for their efforts to make STARBASE Central Florida a reality. He noted that more than one million students have benefited from DoD STEM education since the DoD STARBASE program began in 1993.  

“The Central Florida STARBASE will take our collective STEM outreach efforts to an even higher level, exponentially increasing the number of students reached while also creating synergy across our community,” said NAWCTSD Commanding Officer, Capt. Dan Covelli. “Further, it will place Team Orlando in a leadership role for all DoD’s collective educational outreach as we build new curriculum for deployment across the STARBASE enterprise.”  

The Central Florida STARBASE provides children an opportunity to interact with professionals and scientists from Team Orlando’s research labs to help them understand how Florida’s modeling, simulation and training (MS&T) industry directly depends on a strong talent pipeline, beginning with some of our youngest learners. 

“Central Florida STARBASE provides students with a closer look at the M&S programs and research and technology we develop for our Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, and of course, Navy customers. Not only do the students here get a chance to talk directly one-on-one with our DOD counterparts, but with industry as well,” Emily Sherkow NAWCTSD’s STEM Outreach Coordinator said.  

Central Florida STARBASE ties directly into other STEM initiatives including Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science (GEMS) STEM camps, FIRST® LEGO® Robotics teams, youth mentoring, teacher training opportunities, DoD grant and scholarship support, and more. 

The Department of Defense STARBASE program is a national youth program offering 25 hours of STEM education over five weeks for fifth graders. DoD STARBASE Central Florida, located in Orlando’s Research Park, specializes in introducing students to MS&T by focusing on workforce development through partnerships with industry, government and academia. There are now 80 STARBASE locations at Active, Guard and Reserve military installations throughout the United States and Puerto Rico.