Academy hosts STEM educators

  • Published
  • By Harry Lundy
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Teachers from across the nation took part in the Air Force and the For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology Leadership Experience here, Aug. 4 - 5, to encourage Science, Technology, Engineering and Math studies students.

During the visit, teachers from 24 states attended character and leadership classes to learn how to better inspire students in their respective states.

The event was sponsored in part by the Air Force Recruiting Service with two goals in mind - to garner national STEM support and make teachers aware of what the Academy offers prospective cadets.

"First, we're part of this bigger vision that the Air Force has to support STEM," said Col. Marcus Johnson, AFRS chief of strategic marketing. "Our effort in supporting (STEM) is to show these teachers how we grow leaders in the Air Force."

The teachers also toured the Mechanical, Aeronautic and Astronautic labs and took part in a Cyber Warrior Experience.

"We could have shown classrooms, but we wanted to provide a more interactive and hands-on experience, which the teachers are accustomed to when working with their robotics teams," Johnson said.

This was the first visit to the Academy for the teachers.

"I thought it was for training people to protect our country," said Darcie Fregoe, a sixth-grade teacher of earth science at Madison Elementary School, Massena, N.Y. "I had no idea that the Air Force Academy was a STEM-oriented college. That was eye opening for me."

Admissions staff here explained the Academy enrollment process in the hopes the teachers would share the information with their students.

"I come from rural New York where a lot of students qualify and are brilliant and academically challenged and want to go to college, but their family just can't afford it," Fregoe said. "I have brilliant students in my robotics program who want to go to college and now I have an option for them."

Johnson said he received several positive comments from the group during its first day here.

"If we stopped our visit right now, it would be a success," he said. "Teachers are already excited to go back and tell their students about the experience here. We have given them a road map and GPS so it is really hard to get lost."