FAA Tech Center Inspires Tomorrow’s Workforce Through Aviation STEM

Aviation STEM is a comprehensive program for aviation-focused outreach activities for students, educators, and the general public. Since the program’s beginning in 2016, it’s reached over 22,000 students and supported over 190 outreach events. The program leverages the aviation expertise of the Technical Center’s workforce to conduct outreach to elementary through college graduate students at the local, regional, national, and global levels. Additionally, program representatives collaborate with educators to incorporate aviation themed lessons into the classroom. Earlier this year, the COVID-19 pandemic introduced unprecedented circumstances to the education community. The Aviation STEM Program responded quickly and developed new ways to bring aviation-focused content to students. Since March, Aviation STEM ambassadors have continued to volunteer as virtual science fair judges, guest presenters in online classrooms, and virtual job shadow sessions. In the future, the Aviation STEM program will continue to expand its virtual outreach to reach more students while looking forward to visiting schools and conducting in-person activities once again. For more information, please contact 9-act-AvSTEM@faa.gov.