GW Hosts STEM Event for Local Students

y Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Chris Cavagnaro, USS George Washington Public Affairs

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy's forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) hosted a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) event for more than 300 students from Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka (CFAY), April 3.

The STEM conference is supported through an initiative of the Office of Naval Research (ONR) in an effort to encourage boys and girls to pursue a course of study that includes science, technology, engineering and math.

"This event really shows these students how useful a career in STEM can be and how many different career paths they can choose from in those fields," said Renee Cobb, a mathematics teacher at Yokosuka Middle School. "It's great for the students to be able to interact with Sailors and see them use a lot of the same applications the students are learning."

The event allowed students to tour select areas of the ship and give them an introduction to different careers available in engineering, damage control and avionics.

"It was great to have the students here and give them a little glimpse into what we do," said Aviation Electronics Technician 1st Class Scott Steely, from Houston. "Some of these students might grow up and want to join the Navy, so I think it's important to send a positive message to the community by having them aboard and let them know different available career choices."

Throughout the day, more than 10 groups of students came aboard the ship to gain hands-on experience of the various applications STEM has to offer.

"It was pretty fun visiting the ship and I learned a lot about different jobs Sailors have," said Arisa Helbick, a seventh-grade student from Yokosuka Middle School. "It was really interesting to learn that they use math and science in almost every part of their job."

Today's event marks the third-annual CFAY STEM conference.

George Washington and its embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing 5, provide a combat-ready force that protects and defends the collective maritime interest of the U.S. and its allies and partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.