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SAN DIEGO - Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SSC
Pacific) scientists and engineers participated in the San Diego
Science Alliance (SDSA) 2014 High Tech Fair Oct. 21-22, 2014,
presenting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)
demonstrations to middle and high school students attending the
event.
More than 4,000 children attended the two-day event
focused on inspiring students to pursue futures in STEM.
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Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center
Pacific (SSC Pacific) scientists and engineers participated in the
San Diego Science Alliance 2014 High Tech Fair, Oct. 22, 2014, in
San Diego. SSC Pacific hosted a booth with several interactive
science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities.
The SSC Pacific scientists and engineers answered students'
questions and provided real-world experiences to help excite the
middle and high school students to explore STEM majors and careers.
(U.S. Navy photo by Ashley Nekoui)
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“I've always been interested in marine biology,” said
Halee Scott, a junior at Grossmont High School. “I was
looking forward to attending this event to learn more about
this field and other potential career paths. I was really
interested in the technology that SSC Pacific was sharing,
as it is focused on nature.”
The technology that
sparked Scott's interest is the Sediment Ecotoxicity Assessment Ring (SEA Ring), one
of the STEM technologies SSC Pacific brought to the fair.
The SEA Ring aids the Navy in monitoring the environment by
assessing sediment and surface water quality. The device
exposes common test organisms to contaminants in various
environmental compartments while continuously collecting
chemical and physical data from each compartment.
“We
wanted to share SEA Ring with the students, as it's one of
the tools that we use in the field,” said Renee Dolecal, a
marine ecologist at SSC Pacific. “I think it's really
important that we provide real-world examples so that
students have a better understanding of the opportunities
that await them if they choose to pursue a STEM career.
"We highlight the collaborative efforts that take place
between ecologists and engineers and also explain that,
while we do spend time in the lab, we're constantly going
out and putting our devices into action.”
SSC
Pacific's additional STEM demonstration attracted students
with a sweet confection ? marshmallows. The “white clouds”
added an extra element of fun when participants placed the
edible objects in bell jars, so they could identify the
effect of air pressure on the object and the holding power
of a suction cup. The demonstration's primary principle was
that air has mass.
"SSC Pacific is committed to
adding richness to our community schools here in San Diego
with the intent that this commitment will eventually
percolate throughout the 100,000 Department of Defense STEM
professionals across the country," said SSC Pacific
Executive Director Carmela Keeney.
The laboratory's
efforts support President Barack Obama's Education to
Innovate campaign, focused on creating an all-hands-on-deck
approach to STEM to provide students at every level with the
skills they need to excel in STEM fields.
By U.S. Navy Ashley Nekoui
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2014
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