EPIC STEM Challenge
“We wanted to provide a low-cost way for kids to experience aerospace,” says Lane Slagle, Founder and Director of Starfish Education. “Our mission is to get kids excited and engaged.”
That engagement takes the form of the Electric Propulsion Innovation Challenge (EPIC). Now in its 7th year, the annual game teaches kids key aerospace concepts, allows them to design and fly a low-cost tethered plane, and provides interaction with mentors and coaches.
The EPIC STEM Challenge offers a different STEM-focused aerospace game each year, and this year’s game, called “Some Assembly Required,” will see student teams design, build, and fly an electric airplane that will only become fully assembled after being removed from a specified box. Teams of up to three, with an adult advisor, use a stock 3-6v electric motor and tools like a soldering gun, hand drill, and hot glue gun to design the airplane that they think will best perform the game task.
The challenge is designed for kids grades 6-12, and is incorporated into school curriculum, capstone projects, and after-school offerings at places like 4-H and the Boys and Girls Clubs. The culmination of their work is the fly-off scheduled for January.
Teams earn points through tasks in game, level-up challenges, and display boards. The board, “is an opportunity to show what they learned through the project,” and is akin to project documentation required in the world of work. While teams earn the most points completing game tasks, Lane stresses that there are many ways for kids to be successful during the game. The focus throughout is on inclusivity and participation.
Lane and Starfish bring together a group of engineers and educators to plan each year’s challenge. “There are lots of options for young people interested in IT and robotics,” says Lane, “but not low-cost ways for young people to engage in aerospace. The EPIC STEM Challenge fills that void.”
“If you want to get involved, we will find a place for you,” says Lane. A coaches workshop is set to take place June 24th. If you’re interested in becoming a coach or sponsor, you can find out more at https://www.epicstemchallenge.com. The Center of Excellence is a proud sponsor of this year’s challenge.
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Skookum Aerospace Manufacturing Open House
On Wednesday, May 11th Skookum Aerospace Manufacturing opened its doors to partner organizations to meet the team and learn more about Skookum’s work. Partners toured the facility, asked questions, and had a chance to see how Skookum Aerospace operates. Center of Excellence staff made the trek down to Kent to tour Skookum’s clean, bright and modern space.
Skookum focuses on aerospace products for defense contracts and Boeing, using tools as complex as coordinate measuring machines and 5-axis CNCs to punch presses and grinders. The company’s capabilities include precision machining, sheet metal fabrication, assembly, and kitting for aircraft assembly lines. Skookum’s focus on safety, quality, and lean principles were clear throughout the tour.
Employment Outreach Manager Carolyn Day shared that there’s more than just a focus on quality at Skookum: people matter. Skookum focuses on hiring and retaining veterans and persons with disabilities. At present, over one-third of Skookum’s employees are returning service members.
Skookum operates in 13 states and employs over 1,400 people nationwide, with many of their contracts focused on government operations and defense. The Center of Excellence offers our sincere thanks to the team at Skookum for opening its doors and showing their exceptional work.
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Advanced Manufacturing Training & Education Center (AMTEC) Career & Hiring Festival
On Tuesday, May 24th join hiring employers and EvCC staff for the AMTEC Career & Hiring Festival. Running from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the event will include employer tables and opportunities for interviews on-site. The festival will give students the chance to get a feel for the companies while showcasing the skills they will bring to industry.
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Happy AMT Day - May 24th
The Center of Excellence will celebrate the accomplishments and importance of Aircraft Maintenance Technicians on May 24th, a day of recognition for this critical occupation.
The date May 24th was selected to honor the birthdate of Charles Edward Taylor, the man who built the engine used to power the airplane of the Wright Brothers. A machinist by trade, Taylor made the 12-horsepower engine that propelled the Wrights’ airplane over the beach in North Carolina. Later, Taylor was named manager of the airport the Wrights established and continued his career in aviation maintenance for more than 60 years.
We honor Charles Edward Taylor, celebrating his achievements and those of aircraft maintenance technicians worldwide.
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What We're Reading, Watching, and Listening To
History: Celebrating Bessie Coleman. On June 15, 1921, Bessie Coleman received the first pilot’s license issued to an African American woman and to a Native American woman.
Book: The World for Sale by Javier Blas and Jack Farchy. An examination of commodity traders, the people who move the raw material that keeps people fed, factories supplied, and transportation fueled.
Podcast: Odd Lots: This is What's Next for the Future of Air travel.
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