'STEM Rocks!' at Peterson

by Michael Golembesky
21st Space Wing Public Affairs staff writer

8/19/2013 - PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- Kids will be able to make slime, launch rockets, run underwater rovers, investigate dinosaurs and more at STEM Rocks!, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 24 at the Peterson Air and Space Museum.

The hands-on science, technology, engineering and math activities for kindergarten to eighth graders is meant to increase interest in the STEM field, as well as provide fun for the whole family.

"Those are four areas that greatly contribute to our ability to be effective in space," said Lt. Col. Kimberly Fox, National Security Space Institute Space 300 course director and STEM Rocks! senior military advisor. "It's going to be awesome."

STEM is used for many every day activities, she said, from GPS to smart phones.

"If you don't expose kids to the field early enough, you don't know who might have an interest or aptitude at a young level," Fox said. "You don't know who will have an interest and latch on to it."

The National Security Space Institute in partnership with the Challenger Learning Center of Colorado, 21st Force Support Squadron Child and Youth Programs and Rocky Mountain Company Grade Officers' Council have teamed up to provide children and young adults with a fun and educational experience to learn about all things space and science.

This event will showcase more than 17 interactive exhibits from organizations throughout the Pikes Peak region including the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Cool Science, Radio Disney and the Civil Air Patrol.

The NSSI, located on-base, provides space education and training to space professionals and the broader national security space community. The CLCC located in Colorado Springs provides a space-based learning environment for all ages and features a Space Shuttle simulator and Mission Control Center modeled after NASA's Johnson Space Center.

To learn more about the Challenger Learning Center of Colorado, go to http://www.clccs.org/.

Admission to STEM Rocks! is free and open to all Department of Defense ID card holders. For information, call 598-9755.