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AVIAN Invests in the Next Generation of STEM Professionals

Nov 7th, 2022

You’ve probably heard about STEM education, but do you know why it’s so important?  

In 2018, the White House released the “Charting a Course for Success” report illustrating how far the United States was behind other countries in STEM education. 

It found that only 20% of high school graduates were ready for STEM majors' rigors. And how over the previous 15 years, the U.S. had produced only 10% of the world’s science and engineering grads.

We think that’s not good enough.

November 8 is National STEM Day, highlighting the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math education for students in the United States. At AVIAN, we support STEM education and outreach efforts all year round to ensure a larger, more diverse group of young adults choose STEM careers.

In 2022, AVIAN offered to volunteer at educational events, sponsored competitions, and took on projects to enhance outreach for STEM programs in our local communities.

“Youth STEM outreach has been a priority community involvement area at AVIAN for many years,” said George Franz, AVIAN’s chief operating officer. “From providing personal mentorship to sponsoring robotics clubs in their free time, our employee-owners are extremely passionate about supporting STEM-related efforts in our community.”

These are some of the STEM initiatives AVIAN has invested in this year:

  • Partnered with the College of Southern Maryland to host a hands-on session with high school-aged girls during the Engineer Like a Girl summer program. AVIAN engineers spoke with the students about their career experiences and personal journeys in becoming engineers, sharing tips and advice for the road ahead.

  • Sponsored creating a promotional video for AUVSI and RoboNation’s Student Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), Competition. The promo, created by AVIAN’s Video Production Team, highlights the competition and the diversity of participants, which is designed to foster and stimulate interest in UAS,  UAS technologies, and UAS careers. The video will be used to generate awareness of the event and attract the next round of student participants. 

  • Developed STEM Virtual Tours of over 24 labs and technical facilities for the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Strategic Education Office’s STEM outreach effort, sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The tours serve a dual purpose: to educate STEM students on STEM-related opportunities within the Department of Defense and inform members of the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR)/NAWCAD Engineer and Scientist Development Program (ESDP) about the various facilities and rotational opportunities on base.
  • Volunteered to showcase the Virtual Tours at the annual Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics - Inspiring the Next Generation (STEM-ING) event. Middle school girls were able to watch the tours and learn about potential job opportunities, hopefully inspiring them to pursue careers in a STEM field.

AVIAN remains committed to cultivating a passion for STEM in the next generation of professionals.  We are actively seeking grant opportunities and partnerships to continue STEM outreach. For additional information please contact Morgan Hoey, AVIAN's Senior Director of Training, Multimedia, and Consulting.

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