ICYMI: Fort Meade community celebrates approval of Education and Resiliency Center
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It took nine years of planning, a $3.6 million capital campaign, multiple redesigns, meticulous processing of an 800-item requirements list and exhaustive collaboration with five garrison commanders, numerous on-post agencies and innumerable community members, but the transformation of Fort George G. Meade’s historic Kuhn Hall into a modern Education and Resiliency Center began last week with a flurry of sledge hammers.
The Fort Meade Alliance and Fort Meade Alliance Foundation hosted the ceremonial wall breaking online July 15th after the U.S. Army officially accepted the organizations’ gift proffer to complete a 9,000-square-foot renovation of the building. During the event, members of the Fort Meade community discussed the years-long effort to turn the “audacious idea” of a holistic education and resiliency center into a reality. Three colonels who have served as garrison commander, discussed the resiliency challenges that face service members, military families and civilian personnel on post.
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FMA kicks off a new conversation series
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Starting in late May, the FMA added a new member benefit for one-, two- and three-star members. Envisioned as an opportunity for casual conversation among peers, the MBC Meetup Series gave small business leaders the outlet to come together to discuss their concerns about cash flow, workforce retention, employee health and safety, the CARES Act and other issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. With a handful of featured business leaders on each call guiding the conversation and no more than 25 participants during each session, individuals were able to connect and learn from each another.
Given the success of the first MBC Meetups, the FMA is currently looking to provide a Meetup session each month as the pandemic continues. The FMA has also compiled the hot button issues from each conversation to guide future webinar development and advocacy efforts.
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Virtual STEM Core provides math instruction, career coaching and part-time employment
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Inspiring a teenager who is struggling with math, lacking financial resources and waffling about career choices, to dig into a daunting course of studies in order to become a STEM professional is understandably challenging. Now consider tackling that challenge in the mid-pandemic, socially distanced, technologically demanding world of virtual education.
That was the prospect facing developers of Anne Arundel County’s inaugural session of STEM Core Bridges. The summer program brings rising seniors, high school and community college instructors, and STEM professionals together five days a week for six weeks to study mathematics, complete project-based learning in STEM fields and learn about STEM careers from established professionals. The Fort Meade Alliance – which was instrumental in bringing STEM Core to Maryland, establishing a program at the Community College of Baltimore County and creating a STEM Core Bridges program for high school students in Baltimore City – secured a grant to expand the program to Anne Arundel County.
When COVID-19 forced schools and colleges to terminate in-person instruction, however, the STEM Core Bridges team needed a new plan.
“It’s no secret that virtual education is not as good,” said Justin Serota, Computer Science Resource Teacher with Anne Arundel County Public Schools. “We knew that a virtual program would be much more challenging so we would have to be flexible and use different strategies. We didn’t want students to be staring at a screen six hours straight. Even adults can’t handle that.”
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Maryland receives federal grant to support community development around military installations
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The Maryland Department of Commerce, a Granting Partner of the FMA, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Planning and several other state agencies, has been awarded a second federal grant to help guide compatible development of military installations and their surrounding communities. The goal of this effort is to ensure that military activities do not adversely impact the quality of life in their communities and that development in the communities does not encroach on installation activities.
The $1.12 million grant from the U.S. Office of Economic Adjustment is the second phase of the Statewide Joint Land Use Study (JLUS) grant first awarded to Commerce in 2018. The initial funding supported the development of the Statewide Joint Land Use Study Response Implementation Strategy (SJRIS) report. The new funds will support the development of a State of Maryland Military Communities Compatible Use website; a planning coordination guidebook for local communities; and a study to identify and display via publicly available maps for use by potential energy developers, areas where renewable energy projects may or may not be compatible with the missions of Maryland military installations.
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Welcome to our newest FMA partners & members
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5 Star Partners:
Amazon Web Services, BAE Systems Inc., DeNOVO Solutions, LLC and M.C. Dean, Inc.
Patriot Partner:
Focal Point Data Risk
Members:
CyberTech Services Inc., Evergreen Advisors, LLC, Fuse Engineering, LLC, Helm Point Solutions, LinQuest Corp., Markon Solutions, RequiTest, Inc., Reservoir Labs, Inc., Rolling Wave Technologies, LLC, Slate Enclave, Strategic Analytix, Synergy ECP, LLC, Vectrus, Inc., Wyetech
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Mark your calendar - August 7, 2020
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Come and experience this virtual dynamic information-sharing program on August 7 from 10am-12pm. The focus of this building business bonds event is to promote an informative and interactive engagement with small business entrepreneurs. We hope to convey how DISA contracting processes are carried out and how small businesses can become involved.
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Didn’t get a chance to look at everything the FMA and FMA Foundation accomplished in FY2020?
Review our annual report today.
Click on the image for the digital version.
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Amazon Web Services
Anne Arundel Community College
AAEDC
ASRC Federal
BAE Systems
Boeing Intelligence & Analytics
CACI
Chugach Government Solutions
Ciena Government Solutions, Inc. (CGSI)
Corporate Office Properties Trust
Deloitte, LLP
DeNovo Solutions
HCEDA
Jacobs
LG-TEK
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ManTech International Corporation
M.C. Dean
Nominet
Oceaneering International, Inc.
Parsons
PCI
Perspecta
Praxis Engineering
Raytheon
SAIC
Tower Federal Credit Union
Vision Technologies
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
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Aronson, LLC
Capitol Technology University
ClearEdge
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Focal Point Data Risk
Howard Community College
National Instruments
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