“STEMtoSpace” comes to Humphreys Central Elementary
KOREA – United States Space Force volunteers from Detachment 2, 73rd ISR Squadron at Osan Air Base visited Humphreys Central Elementary School (HCES) in December as part of the Space Force STEMtoSpace outreach program, which aims to promote the importance of STEM education and highlight the role of the Space Force in our armed forces.
During their visit, the Space Force conducted a wide variety of STEM experiments with grades 1, 3, and 4, including homopolar motors, launch towers, universe slime, moon craters, and airplane launchers.
"I think it is important for students to know that there is a Space Force out there, and also realize the importance of science and especially how much fun it is,” said U.S. Space Force Capt. Ian Redding, who coordinated the school visits.
Students were highly engaged in all of the activities that included team building, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills. Teachers appreciated the effort of the volunteers and the quality of the activities that fostered more student interest in STEM.
"STEMtoSpace provided a great opportunity for our first graders to see the Space Force Guardians in uniform and to hear them speak about the interesting things that they do,” said first grade teacher Jeanie Park.
The Space Force's commitment to promoting STEM education and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers left an impact on students.
"My favorite activity was the space docking because it required teamwork and was a lot of fun,” said fourth-grade student Ian Cho.
By providing opportunities like this, the STEMtoSpace program is helping to foster a love of science and technology in our students.