{"id":10589,"date":"2025-05-04T16:21:43","date_gmt":"2025-05-04T16:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/?p=10589"},"modified":"2025-06-26T17:20:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T17:20:31","slug":"building-rockets-and-launching-futures-starbase-to-enhance-steam-education-in-maryland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/2025\/05\/04\/building-rockets-and-launching-futures-starbase-to-enhance-steam-education-in-maryland\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Rockets and Launching Futures: STARBASE to Enhance STEAM Education in Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Staff Sgt. Laura Virtue<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n

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WARFIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE AT MARTIN STATE AIRPORT, Md. —
Inside Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport, preparations are underway for something far beyond the typical cadence of military operations. Soon, classrooms reserved for training Airmen will welcome a new kind of student: fifth-graders from local school districts across Maryland ready to explore the frontiers of science, technology, engineering, art, and math (STEAM).

The Maryland Air National Guard will soon become the first in its state to adopt the Department of Defense\u2019s STARBASE program \u2013 a milestone that fosters greater connection between national defense and community education for the next generation.

STARBASE, a Department of Defense educational outreach initiative established in 1991, brings students onto military installations for an immersive, five-day experience that integrates STEAM learning with real-world application through engaging, hands-on activities. From designing and launching rockets to exploring flight dynamics and robotics, the program aims to make STEAM both fun, tangible and accessible for students from diverse backgrounds.

\u201cGetting kids interested in STEAM is not just about filling future jobs \u2013 it\u2019s about opening doors to opportunities, possibilities, purpose, and personal transformation,\u201d said Maryland Air National Guard Col. Alisya Davis, Maryland National Guard Joint Staff Joint Resiliency (J9) director. \u201cFor children, especially those with varying needs, early exposure to science, technology, engineering, arts and math can be the spark that shifts the trajectory of their entire lives.\u201d

Approximately $500,000 in federal funding was recently granted to establish the STARBASE program in Maryland. In the future, students participating in the program will spend five days immersed in dynamic STEAM modules that emphasize the practical use of math and science principles to solve engineering challenges as a team.

\u201cThis is an exciting milestone for Maryland,\u201d said Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, the adjutant general of Maryland. \u201cThanks to the collaboration between our state\u2019s Congressional delegation and the Department of Defense, we\u2019re bringing hands-on STEAM learning directly to the youth in our community. The DoD\u2019s STARBASE program provides the curriculum and guidance to help launch their futures by expanding access to opportunity.\u201d

Once the program is fully operational, Maryland will facilitate approximately 30 classes of no more than 35 students throughout the school year through an immersive 25-hour curriculum in addition to a summer program. The curriculum will include activities such as rocket building, computer programming, computer-aided design (CAD), 3-D printing, and virtual reality simulations.

Classrooms and learning facilities will be hosted at the 175th Wing, with all materials and instruction provided at no expense to the participating students or their schools. The 175th Wing is planning to convert its former Emergency Management Office into a fully equipped STARBASE classroom, transforming the space into a hub for hands-on STEAM learning.

Students will also receive school credit for their participation in STARBASE as the curriculum is tailored to accomplish fifth grade learning standards and outcomes. However, what sets the program apart is its unique setting. Being on an active military base exposes students to role models in uniform \u2013 people using STEAM in real-world, high-stakes environments every day. For many of these students, it\u2019s their first time stepping foot onto a military installation, much less one where the classrooms feature 3-D printers and virtual reality simulations instead of whiteboards and textbooks.

\u201cSTARBASE is a great opportunity that allows the Maryland Air National Guard to build lasting connections within the community while introducing students to foundational STEAM experiences,\u201d said Maryland Air National Guard 1st Lt. Luciano Dimino, a Maryland National Guard Joint Force Headquarters executive officer who helped spearhead the STARBASE Maryland standup. \u201cMany of these students may not have access to tools like CAD software, 3-D printers, or drones. This program provides the opportunity for them to explore and develop skills that they might not otherwise encounter.\u201d

For one Airman at the 175th Wing, the launch of the STARBASE program in Maryland carries personal significance. Maryland Air National Guard 2nd Lt. Jack Prewitt, an officer assigned to the 175th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, participated in the STARBASE Atlantis program as a fifth grader at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland, in 2008. At the time, the program, run by Naval Education and Training Command (NETC), offered 25 hours of science, technology, engineering and math curriculum, as well as hands-on science experiments for fifth grade students from local elementary schools. He recalls the excitement of building model rockets, as well as a structural payload design activity that involved dropping an egg off a 100-foot tower without breaking. These early experiences served as the catalyst for his continued pursuit of engineering, leading him to join his middle school\u2019s then STEM program, and later earn advanced degrees in mechanical and aerospace engineering. This fall, he is set to begin a Ph.D. program in aerospace engineering, continuing the journey that STARBASE helped ignite years ago.

\u201cGrowing up, I didn\u2019t have a STEM influence at home \u2013 no one in my family was an engineer or worked in a technical field,\u201d said Prewitt. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s great for students to have real, interactive engineering experience, especially if they don\u2019t have an engineering background. Sometimes, that\u2019s all it takes to start a lifelong interest.\u201d

Although STARBASE has expanded to more than 80 military organizations across the U.S., Maryland had previously remained a blank spot on the STARBASE map. That changed when Maryland National Guard leaders saw an opportunity not just to give back to its communities, but also to help address the growing STEAM workforce needs in the state. By inspiring and preparing the next generation of innovators and leaders, the STARBASE program has the potential to strengthen the future workforce for both Maryland and the Air Force, as well as our competitive edge in an evolving threat environment.

\u201cWelcoming students onto our base is a unique way to inspire curiosity and spark aspirations that could shape their futures,\u201d said Dimino. \u201cIntroducing young people to a military environment \u2013 whether its watching A-10s fly on our runway or interacting with service members \u2013 gives them a perspective they may have never experienced before. For many, it can open their eyes to an entirely new career path.\u201d

Learning doesn\u2019t end when students leave the base. The hope is that the impact will continue to grow far beyond the classroom, with a focus on long-term impact by encouraging schools and families to continue STEAM exploration at home and in their own classrooms.

According to the DoD STARBASE 2023 Annual Report, student performance on STEAM knowledge questions improved significantly from pre- to post-program, with 15 percent more correct answers on average. Students\u2019 positive opinions of STEAM rose on attitude questions, of which 95 percent were significant increases. The largest shifts were toward greater science confidence, understanding that engineers solve challenging problems, awareness of jobs using STEAM \u2014 including military, and belief that the STARBASE experience will be helpful in school. Eighty percent of participants reported a more favorable view of military service post-program.

Whether they end up in military service, engineering, or healthcare, or even a field that doesn\u2019t exist yet, the goal is to inspire.

\u201cSTARBASE isn\u2019t just about sparking curiosity \u2013 it\u2019s about showing kids what\u2019s possible,\u201d said Davis. \u201cIn a world increasingly defined by innovation and complexity, getting children from all backgrounds and abilities excited about STEAM is more than a strategy; it is a moral imperative. It\u2019s how we build a workforce that reflects the full genius of our nation. It\u2019s how we ensure every child sees that their sky is not the limit \u2013 it\u2019s just the beginning.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Staff Sgt. Laura Virtue WARFIELD AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE AT MARTIN STATE AIRPORT, Md. — Inside Warfield Air National Guard Base at Martin State Airport, preparations are underway for something far beyond the typical cadence of military operations. Soon, classrooms reserved for training Airmen will welcome a new kind of student: fifth-graders from local  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":10607,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10589","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10589"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10589\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10608,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10589\/revisions\/10608"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10589"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10589"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10589"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}