VISION STATEMENT:
To be the premier Department of Defense youth outreach program for raising the interest in learning and improving the knowledge and skills of our nation’s youth so that we may develop a highly educated and skilled American workforce who can meet the advance technological requirements of the Department of Defense.
MISSON STATEMENT:
To expose our nation’s youth to the technological environments and positive civilian and military role models found on Active, Guard, and Reserve military bases and installations, nurture a winning network of collaborators, and build mutual loyalty within our communities, by providing 25 hours of exemplary hands-on STEAM instruction and activities that meet or exceed the national standards.
Description
DoD STARBASE is a premier educational program, sponsored by the Office of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. At DoD STARBASE students participate in challenging “hands-on, minds-on” activities in Science, Technology, Engineering & Art/Design, and Mathematics (STEAM). They interact with military personnel to explore careers and observe STEAM applications in the “real world.” The program provides students with 25 hours of stimulating experiences at National Guard, Marine, Air Force Reserve, Army, Air Force, and Space Force bases across the nation.
DoD STARBASE’s primary focus is the program for fifth graders. The goal is to motivate them to explore STEAM opportunities as they continue their education. The program encourages students to set goals and achieve them.
The program engages students through the inquiry-based curriculum with its “hands-on, minds-on” experiential activities. Each academy chooses a customized curriculum from a large offering of peer-reviewed learning opportunities in each STEAM area, such as: Newton’s Laws and Bernoulli’s principle, robotics, and engineering as they use the computer to design space stations, all-terrain vehicles, and submersibles. Mathematics is embedded throughout the curriculum and students use metric measurement, estimation, calculation geometry, and data analysis to solve questions. Teamwork is stressed as they work together to explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate concepts.
Military volunteers apply abstract principles to real-world situations by leading tours and giving lectures on the use of STEAM in different settings and careers. Since the academies are located in different branches of the military this experience is highly
varied. Students may discuss how chemical fires are extinguished, learn how injured are transported, or explore the cockpit of an F-18 or the interior of a submarine.
The academies work with school districts to support their standards of learning objectives.
