LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. -- Little Rock Air Force Base hosted Arkansas’ largest STEM festival in conjunction with the Thunder Over the Rock Air and Space Show, with field trip day Oct. 26 that drew more than 20,000 attendees, over 13,000 of whom were students.
The students, teachers and chaperones in attendance experienced exhibits focused on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics with the goal of building interest in STEM-oriented careers.
“We all felt a lot of responsibility to live up to the expectations of 13,000 students and their teachers, but seeing the amazed looks on their faces drove home how important this experience was for our young people,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Kyle Sanders, STEM Fest director. “It was our chance to bring their textbooks to life and connect with science professionals from the entire region.”
Among the exhibits were a robotics competition, drone races, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration high-altitude weather balloon launch, and NASA’s Journey to Tomorrow, among many others.
The festival offered a chance for Arkansas institutions and professionals to interact with a wide swath of students from across Arkansas who attended the event.
“This amount of student engagement you cannot put a price on; it’s unprecedented in Arkansas,” said Chris Lynch, Arkansas Department of Career Education STEM Coordinator.
STEM careers are projected to be the fastest growing sector in the decades to come. In partnering with the state of Arkansas, Team Little Rock hoped to expose attendees to STEM careers by connecting them to the professionals who could speak to their careers directly, with a goal of affecting change beyond Little Rock.
“Both our nation and our local economy depend on technology to thrive,” Sanders said. “We hope that this event helped inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers.”
The STEM Fest also ran throughout the Thunder Over the Rock Air and Space Show Oct. 27-28, and was open to the entire public in attendance. The festival exhibits complemented the air and space show by highlighting the vital role STEM plays in aviation technology and the Air Force at-large.
"STEM is important because it's what makes the world go ‘round,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Ian Bergstrom, STEM Fest augmentee. “It's important to get that into a child's perspective at a young age."