HACKENSACK, N.J. - As the summer sun set on a week of discovery, innovation, and exploration, Hackensack Middle School played host to a powerful convergence of future talent and current promise.
Culminating a week-long Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP) funded Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Mini Camp, 38 students from grades six through eight gathered to showcase what they learned through immersive, hands-on curriculum centered on drone programming and real-world applications of autonomous flight.
The capstone event of the camp featured a special presentation from two Department of Defense (DoD) summer interns—Azahel Jurado Luna, an Aerospace Engineering student at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), and Loren Boutelle, a Mechanical Engineering student at Virginia Tech.
Both interns are hosted by the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Armaments Center’s Enterprise and Systems Integration Center (ESIC) at Picatinny Arsenal and have spent their summer conducting advanced STEM research aligned with DoD priorities.
The STEM Camp curriculum focused on the use of drones in disaster relief and emergency response operations, taking recent flood events in New Jersey and Texas as real-world case studies. Students learned how drones can assist in search and rescue missions, deliver supplies to inaccessible areas, and relay crucial data to first responders.
The interns shared their research, which aligned with the curriculum of the camp, and walked students through the fundamentals of drone coding, flight stabilization, and environmental sensing—technologies they’ve been researching as part of their internship experience.
Just as impactful as their technical presentation were the personal stories the interns shared. Azahel and Loren reflected on their own journeys into STEM, emphasizing the importance of seizing opportunities, staying curious, and surrounding oneself with passionate mentors and peers. Their encouragement echoed the camp’s core purpose: to broaden students’ awareness of STEM careers and ignite the confidence to pursue them.
Throughout the week, August 4–9, students engaged in a broad range of activities, from engineering design challenges and robotics builds to renewable energy exploration and environmental science modules. The camp's programming aligned closely with DoD and Army STEM education priorities, providing early exposure to high-demand disciplines such as artificial intelligence, automation, and engineering design.
A special highlight for campers came mid-week with an inspiring address from an industry luminary—Founder of NVIDIA, Chris Malachowsky —who shared insights on the future of technology and the urgent need for young, diverse talent in STEM fields. This extraordinary access to industry and defense professionals enriched the overall experience, sparking new aspirations among participants.
The Hackensack STEM Mini Camp was made possible through the AEOP Lab-based Mini Grant initiative, which provides up to $10,000 in funding to support local Army Research Center and Lab outreach activities. The program aims to expand access to meaningful STEM experiences, particularly for students from underserved communities.
The interns’ participation was supported through the DoD HBCU/MI Summer Internship Program, which places students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions at Army research centers across the nation. These internships foster research skills, professional development, and mentoring while strengthening the future defense STEM workforce.
As students packed up their robots and drones for the last time this summer, they left with more than technical skills—they left inspired, connected, and curious about the possibilities ahead. With leaders like Azahel and Loren showing the way, the future of STEM—and national defense innovation—is in capable hands.
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