October 28, 2019 - MA STEM Week - STARBASE and UTeach at UMass, Boston

As I you may have seen from my last news entry, the STARBASE Team set up computer-aided-design, Lego Mindstorms robotics and PhET simulation stations in the Campus Center at UMass, Boston as part of a Massachusetts STEM Week event. Our purpose was two fold -

1) To give interested students the chance to experience STEM learning from a fifth grader’s perspective and, while immersed in that experience, to talk about what it means to teach STEM in a supportive and empowering way.

2) To showcase, for potential future teachers, the UTeach STEM Teacher Preparation Program at UMass, Boston, and our partnership role as an internship site for the UTeach program.

The STARBASE team was very pleased by the collegial support from UTeach students and faculty at UMass, Boston. We were very happy to see our current interns and to meet so many interesting and varied UMass students who participated enthusiastically and who engaged us in some thoughtful conversations. All in all it was a great experience for us and I thank everyone at UTeach for the opportunity to contribute this terrific program. Here are some pictures from the STEM Week event.

October 22, 2019 - Massachusetts STEM Week - STARBASE Hanscom at UMass, Boston

Exploring STEM Teaching and Learning
Hosted by: STARBASE Hanscom AFB & The UMass, Boston, UTeach Program

Description: Exploring STEM Teaching and Learning is an event for UMass students and anyone interested in pursuing a career in K-12 STEM teaching.  Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in Computer-Aided Design, Robotics and Chemistry activities from the perspective of student learners and to engage in dialog with STEM educators. There will be information about the UTeach Program at UMass, Boston and the Prospective Teacher Internship Program at STARBASE Hanscom AFB as well as the opportunity to connect with others who share your interest and curiosity about STEM Teaching and Learning. This is a public event. No registration is required.

Location:  UMass, Boston, Campus Center Lobby, 100 William T Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125

 Public Event
Tuesday, October 22nd
2:00pm – 5:00pm
Target audience: UMass Students, UTeach Students, Interested Public

August 2019 - Astronaut Eric Boe's Virtual STARBASE Hanscom Visit

We were more than excited to have NASA astronaut Colonel Eric Boe (USAF Retired) speak via Skype with students attending our Space-themed Summer Camp in August. Colonel Boe took time our from his training as a member of the first astronaut crew for the upcoming Boeing Starliner spacecraft to answer students’ questions and to delver some key messages.

Colonel Boe stressed the importance of teamwork noting that, “..being an astronaut is a part to play in a big team..”. He also told students that what ever they chose to do, work hard and work effectively with others but also take time to enjoy and reflect on each moment.

Coming on the 50th anniversary of man landing on the moon in 1969, Colonel Boe’s visit had special meaning.

When we designed the summer camp, we wanted to make sure students would leave the experience inspired and with knowledge about space. A visit from an astronaut adds another dimension by helping students see science and exploration as an ongoing legacy. See photos from Astronaut Eric Boe’s visit.

July 2019 - Leominster and Medford ELL Student Camps

In July, we ran our unique STEM summer camps for English Language Learners and diverse populations. We have a lot of fun and derive a lot of satisfaction from this program. Once the students discover we’re not focusing on what they can’t do, but building on what they can, they can’t get enough of it. They take on the STARBASE Challenge with single-minded focus and a heart-felt enthusiasm.

It’s also great opportunity for us to try a few new activities and put some twists on some old ones. The students are our partners in this creative process and provide us with thoughtful feedback for future classes.

For several years, these camps have been made possible through generous contributions from Northrup-Grumman and facilitated by Forward Position, Inc.. The entire STARBASE Team greatly appreciates Northrup-Grumman’s support in this worthwhile endeavor.

See photos from the Medford and Leominster weeks.

Spring 2019 - STARBASE 2.0 After-School Clubs in Leominster, Boston and at Hanscom AFB

There really isn’t enough room here to write about all that went on at our STARBASE 2.0 clubs this spring but I’ll try. And, before I get started, I’d like to thank AFSTEM for their very generous support for this program and Mr. Pat Hart at Hanscom AFB for making it happen.

The Leominster Club, run in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Fitchburg and Leominster, focused on the engineering design process and utilized PTC’s Creo CAD software. I was really touched by how much effort the kids put into their work and impressed with the level of accomplishment. We came a long way together and I miss them. We had a good mentoring/teaching team with us in Leominster —- Kofi, Imbrahim, and Josie all contributed immeasurably. Take a look at some photos from club meetings.

The Yawkey Club was operated in collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club of Boston. The Yawkey Club also focused on the engineering design process but made use of both PTC Creo CAD software and Lego NXT robots. The kids at Yawkey really took to the robotics programming and I saw such joy and growth as they experienced success after success. The Yawkey Team was very supportive and our intern, Alex, from UTeach at UMass, Boston was a mentor/teacher par excellence. Take a peek here.

The Hanscom Middle School Club was run in collaboration with Lincoln Public Schools. The focus was, again, EDP, utilizing Creo CAD software. I was impressed with the creative ideas expressed in the students’ projects and their depth of exploration. This group was particular good at communicating their successes and challenges in the class setting. We were privileged to have Lt Col Kathryn Cantu serve as a mentor for our club and to have the superb, expert support of Hanscom Middle School Teachers Becca Fasciano and Tyler Letendre. See some photos here.

Finally, I’d like to thank the leadership of the three institutions involved for making it all work and her’s one more shout out to AFSTEM for their generous support.

May 2019 - Captain Marvel Visits STARBASE!

Well…it wasn’t really Captain Marvel but it was someone really special. It was 1st Lt. Jazmin Furtado, a U.S. Air Force engineer, who stood in for Captain Marvel to act as a role model for young people considering STEM education and STEM careers. Lt Furtado spoke to students participating in STARBASE from Peabody, Mass.. She talked about her background and how motivation and persistence had led her to the U.S. Air Force Academy and to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today, Lt Furtado helps design systems for ground troops to communicate with aircraft. She’s also a great speaker and a terrific choice for “Captain Marvel”. See Captain Marvel with the students here.

February 2019 - Quantum Physics for Fifth Graders

If you had asked me before last February if Quantum Physics should, or even could, be in a fifth grade curriculum, I would have given you my “polite skepticism” look. (I’m pretty good at this - ask anyone) Certainly the concepts are too complex to for a fifth graders to comprehend and too esoteric to have any relevance to their lives. But Professor Alioscia Hamma of UMass, Boston and the Perimeter Institute has caused me to reconsider my perspective. Professor Hamma has created a learning activity that takes mysterious phenomena unique to the quantum world, and makes it completely accessible to children and adults. We were privileged in February to have Professor Hamma and his colleague, Professor Maxim Olshanii, conduct this activity at STARBASE for the first time with fifth graders. The students really took to it and were astonished when confronted by the results of the exploration. Things just don’t work at the quantum level as they do in our everyday experience. It’s like magic. Check out the photos here.

October 2018 - “The Start of an Exciting Year”

The school year has started at STARBASE Hanscom and, before you know what happened, September is passed and October is starting. For me, the days tend to fly by at STARBASE because there’s so much going on and each day brings something new in how students express themselves. The other day a student was working on a robotics project and I told her she was doing a great job. She told me, “I know”. I said, “Really? How did you know?”.

“Well, I’m really pretty good at this. I’ve been taking STEM activities after school since I was a kid.”

I know that’s cute - and the exception rather than the rule, as not many students profess such confidence - but students tell you all sorts of ideas and stories as they participate. Positive reinforcement in the face of challenge invites dialog and it’s these narratives that are really intriguing. They are fifth graders but they are individuals trying to understand and feel comfortable in the world. Aren’t we all like that?

August 2018 - Hanscom Youth Summer Week in Review

We had a terrific Hanscom Youth Summer Camp last week! Here's some great links from WBZ and the Hansconian -

WBZ - Meteorologist Pamela Gardner Visits

https://boston.cbslocal.com/video/3921867-wbz-tvs-pamela-gardner-visits-hanscom-air-force-base/

The Hansconian - Base Meteorologist Major Nessa Hock visits and more...

https://www.hanscom.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1612136/starbase-academy-explores-extreme-weather/