ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD -- Members of the command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance team at Aberdeen Proving Ground welcomed local students to the installation in an effort to expose students to government, business and science, technology, engineering and mathematics careers fields and encourage STEM education.
Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications-Tactical, hosted the Greater Excellence in Education Foundation's Learn, Educate, Advocate and Decide, or LEAD, for Tomorrow Careers Pathways Program this past July.
The Greater Excellence in Education Foundation is a local Harford county foundation providing students and their families the tools and resources necessary to support student achievement and post secondary success in college, work and life. LEAD aims to prepare students for college, trade school, military, work or a career, be self-sufficient and ready to contribute as a citizen of their community, according to Kim Hoyle, U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Software Engineering Center.
In support of the APG community outreach effort in STEM education, SEC hosted a group of 5th and 6th graders August 7 as a part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center summer camp curriculum. Students visited the CECOM SEC Joint On-demand Interoperability Network, JOIN, facility and Satellite Communications labs. Senior leaders, Joe Fisher and Wing Young, director and deputy of the CECOM SEC Communications Directorate hosted the students, leading a tour including:
- Video of satellite orbit history;
- Launch of a Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) satellite;
- Deployment of Defense Satellite Communications Satellite (DSCS) III satellite solar panel and payload after separated from the launch rocket;
- 3D simulation of the WGS;
- PowerPoint presentation explaining the various satellite orbits (low earth orbits, medium earth orbits, and geostationary earth orbit, also known as LEOs, MEOs, and GEOs) and the many usages of SATCOM;
- A demo of the common network planning software showing how we use it to plan for SATCOM allowing 2 distant users to communicate with each other;
- A demo of a supported earth terminal system, showing how software is used to monitor and control the various equipment of the 60-foot antenna for sending and receiving of SATCOM signals.
SEC received feedback that students were impressed by the state-of-the-art Communications labs, and engaging videos and presentations, said Hoyle. 3
Portia Crowe, a PEO C3T tour participant, remarked that, "…all of the briefers were prepared and spoke at a level that the students could understand. The labs were very interesting for them to see and some students remarked that they were in awe of what we do behind our gates."
Young applauds his communications team members for their support of the installation's STEM initiatives.
"I am very proud of the SEC Communications team members…The COMM team was enthusiastic about the chance to show young students how exciting a career in engineering can be. We are very happy that our efforts might help persuade some of these young students to a career in STEM."
Young and Fisher recognized the following personnel for doing their part in ensuring the STEM outreach tour was a success:
Laith Toni
Diego Baldeon
John Kahler
Ken Buergin
Archie Kujawski
Jan Bathurst
Craig Pluemacher
Ryan Capes
Dimple Amleshvarwala-Thaker
Nancy Toth
Richard Shaw
"SEC is at the forefront of developing new initiatives for a command-wide STEM outreach program," said Hoyle. "We are excited at the prospect of establishing a new program and lending support to APG's STEM outreach initiatives."
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