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Program Overview |
The Naval Undersea Warfare (NUWC) Division Newport established educational partnerships in 2007 with several local school districts to expose students to science, math, and engineering (STEM) activities and its vast talent pool of STEM professionals. Students who participate in programs such as the Seaperch Engineering Club, Undersea Technology Apprentice Program, MATHCOUNTS, and the Student Engineering Apprentice Program interact with NUWC scientists and technical staff to acquire valuable skills that can be applied to their future academic and vocational endeavors. The program activities span the educational spectrum from early elementary-school science labs through the university graduate level directed research, providing students a continuous thread of STEM experiences. Educational outreach provides NUWC’s 21st-century future workforce a progressive, integrated path aimed at building a rewarding professional career and a lifetime of service to our nation. |
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Community Snapshot |
NUWC Division Newport has Educational Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with four local school districts that include nearly 8,000 students: Newport and South Kingstown, R.I.; New Bedford, Mass.; and the Times2 Academy in Providence, R.I. These EPAs focus on the schools’ educational needs, diversity, and proximity to NUWC Division Newport.
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Outreach Activities |
The SeaPerch Engineering Club is an afterschool program that will reach 130 students during the 2009-10 school year and provide the opportunity to build a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) called the SeaPerch. STEM professionals from NUWC assist students in engineering the undersea vehicle while helping them understand critical concepts such as buoyancy and electrical circuitry.
The SeaPerch Engineering Club
Science Club is a program that allows elementary school students to explore the physical world in which they live through a series of innovative and exciting activities. These range from “manufacturing” ice cream from scratch (an all-time favorite among the students) to constructing lemon battery-powered electrical circuits. This year’s program will reach more than 175 students in six different elementary schools and integrate 25 NUWC STEM professionals.
Currently in its 27th year, Mathcounts is one of the nation’s largest and most successful education partnerships involving volunteers, educators, industry sponsors, and students. NUWC STEM professionals support four middle-school club-level Mathcounts teams involving 50 students to promote both mathematics achievement and active student participation. Weekly club meetings feature challenging math concepts and activities that apply these concepts to problem-solving situations. These scenarios integrate the use of calculator-controlled robots, tangrams puzzles, and other exciting educational media. Students typically race against time to solve intricate problems and compete against their peers without the pressure of grades.
MATHCOUNTS
Division Newport has an additional Educational Partnership Agreement with Aquidneck Island Robotics (AIR) to support FIRST activities. AIR is an educational 4-H club dedicated to mentoring local youth about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) subjects and teaching through competitive robotics. AIR is organized under the National 4-H Council and locally under the Rhode Island 4-H Cooperative Extension.
FIRST
FRC teams are allowed approximately six weeks to conceptualize, design, prototype, build, and test their robots before they are required to put down all tools and ship their robots to their respective regional. This program enables students to learn about the scientific and technological challenges, opportunities, and rewards that exist within the engineering world. Team 78 recently placed second in a New England regional competition.
FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC)
FTC is for 14- to 18-year-olds. The name of the game is Hot Shot, which pits two alliances (red and blue), consisting of two teams each, against one another. The object of the game is to score wiffle balls, both autonomously and tele-operated, into goals both on and off the field. This program was developed to encourage students to build and design their own robots as well as team spirit.
FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC)
An exciting and fun global robotics program that ignites an enthusiasm for discovery, science, and technology in kids ages 9 to14. The name of the game is Smart Move, which gives the students firsthand experience in getting a sensor-equipped vehicle (the robot) to gain access to places and things while avoiding or surviving impacts, all in a test environment.
FIRST Lego League (FLL)
UTAP is two four-week-long summer sessions in which approximately 40 students from local partnering schools work part time alongside Division Newport scientists and engineers. This is a fun and rewarding program which gives volunteers the chance to mentor and build lasting relationships with students as they face real-world scientific and engineering projects today and in the future.
Undersea Camp is composed of two weekly sessions in which middle-school students are given the opportunity to build Seaperch vehicles. Volunteers assist students in their endeavor to build the most inventive and “hip” Seaperch vehicle using simple materials such as PVC pipes, motors, buoys, and wires. Students are given exactly one week to complete their undersea vehicles before testing them in the murky waters of the tank. A fun opportunity that gives volunteers the chance to mentor young students for one week during the summer.
Undersea Camp
Approximately 234 students from local partner schools tour NUWC Division Newport for a day and take part in demonstrations and special programs to give them a better understanding of the scientific and engineering world.
Approximately 425 students, ages 9-17, will participate in this year’s annual event on April 22. In addition to tours of NUWC Division Newport‘s laboratory facilities, students and their parents partake in scientific experiments and demonstrations presented by some of the Navy’s top scientists and engineers. Throughout the day, students attend interactive demonstrations such as “What’s faster -- a Cheetah or a Torpedo?,” “Tour the Anechoic Chamber Room,” “Chemistry Magic Show,” and “Lasers: Remote Detection of Pulse Waveform.”
An intensive eight-week introduction to the engineering profession for high-school students during their summer vacation period. The FY 2010 program includes a two-week core curriculum and a rotational placement in many of NUWC’s research departments for 35 aspiring engineering students. Students receive a modest stipend for their participation.
Student Engineering Apprentice Program (SEAP)
NREIP is the capstone of the educational outreach program and engages undergraduate- and graduate-level university students in a 10-week internship at NUWC during the summer academic recess. Internships include a stipend, partially funded by the Office of Naval Research, and are focused on research to sustain the Navy’s current fleet as well as lay the foundation for development of its future battle force. During 2010, NUWC will host 32 students in this highly competitive program.
Naval Research Engineering Intern Program (NREIP)
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Photos |
View images
from our most recent event held. (Click thumbnails to view)
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Employee Accolades |
Division Wins Navy Award for Educational Outreach
NUWC Division Newport has been selected as the Navy’s Mid-Atlantic Region winner of the Navy Community Service Award in the Personal Excellence Partnership Flagship, Large Shore category for its Educational Outreach Program. Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is the parent command for all Navy installations from North Carolina to Maine (less Naval District Washington).
Personal Excellence Partnership (PEP) is one of five “Flagships” that comprise the Navy’s Community Service program. PEP recognizes the best educational partnership program between a Navy command and school or youth service organization. As the Mid-Atlantic award winner, Division Newport will represent the region in the Navy-wide competition.
On Oct. 16, 2009, Capt. Michael Byman and Division Technical Director Dr. Paul Lefebvre held a ceremony to recognize and thank volunteers from the division who have supported the division’s educational outreach programs.
“This award marks the second time in three years that NUWC Division Newport’s Educational Outreach Program has garnered this prestigious Navy honor,” said Byman. “In the past year, Division Newport’s innovative Mathematics and Science Educational Outreach Program reached over 4,000 students in the local community. Hopefully, 10 to 20 years from now it will pay real dividends as we get more youngsters into science and engineering to keep our country competitive.”
The division currently partners with four local school districts in Newport, South Kingstown, and Providence, R.I.; and New Bedford, Mass. A variety of technical presentations, interactive demonstrations, and hands-on activities appropriate to the age group (elementary through high school) are offered by employee volunteers in these districts.
“Reaching children early is the core goal of the outreach plan, demonstrating real-world applications of math and science,” said Lefebvre. “Ultimately, it helps them visualize a technical or scientific career.”
“This award selection honors the efforts of nearly 200 people—a wonderful group of dedicated volunteers who have made our program successful,” said Candie Desjardins, educational outreach program coordinator. “In fact, in Newport elementary schools the word is out about how great our program is and we now have had to quadruple the size of it.”
Lefebvre commented that he receives a lot of positive feedback from the schools that reflects on the great job Desjardins and the volunteers have done. The number of students applying to these programs is increasing significantly.
“I encourage our current volunteers to talk to their coworkers about volunteering,” said Lefebvre.
—John Woodhouse, Public Affairs Office, with Jane Tracy
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