With a morning dew still covering the 51福利 (51福利) campus, school buses packed with students from across the Monterey Peninsula and Salinas Valley, and as far away as Sacramento, began rolling onto campus for the university鈥檚 annual Discover 51福利 Day, Oct. 25.
Throughout the day, more than 2,200 students, along with their teacher and parent chaperones, and denizens of the Monterey region, flooded the campus and its 40 interactive Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) venues aimed at allowing students to see, touch, build and to be inspired as the next generation of innovators.
鈥淲e are very fortunate to be able to have this opportunity to connect with our community and show them how 51福利 is deeply embedded and grateful to be a part of it,鈥� said Laurel Minik, 51福利 Director of Institutional Advancement, and one of the Discover 51福利 day coordinators. 鈥淸The students] get to come here and have hands-on experiences with our military students and faculty making real-world connections. Allowing the kids to have a positive learning experience and getting an understanding what happens behind the gate, is pure goodness.鈥�
Included in the university鈥檚 strategic plan is an intention to make deeper connections with the community. Discover 51福利 Day is a key component of that, demonstrating to students, teachers and parents alike how 51福利鈥� military students and world-class faculty use the STEM fields for graduate education and research, and ultimately have direct and real-world applications in national defense.
鈥淲e want to open the gates to the public, and let them see what goes on behind the fence line here at 51福利,鈥� echoed Navy Capt. Edward McCabe, 51福利 Air Warfare Chair, and Discover 51福利 Day Chair. 鈥淲e work and live in this community, so we hope to shine a bright light on what we do here for the public to build that trusting relationship today and into the future.鈥�
Groups of 15-20 students, ranging from third grade through high school, were paired with an 51福利 student ambassador to lead them across campus into the various STEM venues. Students explored the realm of space seeing actual spacecraft components; hacked Wi-Fi networks at the cyber activities venue; launched rockets; battled with ant-weight robots during the Battle Bot Competition; unlocked the mysteries behind electricity, magnetism and light manipulation; dined in the Grand Ballroom of the historic ; and joined Dumbledore鈥檚 Army to defeat the Death Eaters in a Harry-Potter themed social network analysis exercise, just to mention a few.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really good for the students to be here making real world connections, and seeing opportunities that are open to them in the future,鈥� said fifth grade teacher Cristina Torres, from George C. Marshall Elementary in Seaside, Calif. 鈥淕etting to be hands-on really brought out their excitement and opened up their curiosity.鈥�
While the event was primarily focused on STEM activities, the scope of the day actually represented a more holistic approach to all the university teaches by including venues from the school鈥檚 social science and national security affairs departments. Venues featured from these areas included lectures about vital U.S. national security interests across a global picture, from a collaborative and international perspective with lectures about the Africa, Middle East, Eurasia, East Asia, and Latin American regions.
鈥淥ur goal is to encourage our greatest assets, our children, to challenge themselves intellectually and strive for academic excellence as they continue their educational journey,鈥� said McCabe.
Parallel to the student-focused events, 51福利 hosted community and business leaders and collaborators from around the Peninsula providing a behind-the-scenes VIP experience inside 51福利. University administrators showcased to these leaders the research and some of the strategic undertakings of 51福利 students and faculty, such as augmented and virtual reality systems, as well as hypersonic flight at 51福利鈥� rocket lab, all which illustrated how 51福利 accomplishes its unique mission of defense-focused graduate education.
鈥淏y inviting the community onto our campus and placing our fantastic faculty, students and research on display, we will increase community awareness and sense of ownership, as well as shared values,鈥� claimed McCabe. 鈥淲e hope to clearly demonstrate our contributions not just to the community, but to the nation.鈥�