Mighty in STEM Sisters (MiSS

By Tom Flavin

Imagine being able to say that you and your rocketry team, while still in middle or high school, got to build a rocket on Edwards Air Force Base with world-class mentors. You got to test launch it, and then you also were able to run after it in a field on base, as the parachute deployed and it returned to earth. The run appeared to be about 100 yards or more. An endless, positive, history-making memory.

For about 37 years, I have driven by Edwards Air Force Base, but I never stepped foot on the base. While I wanted to, there was never a reason or an invitation. When Dr. Amira Flores, Director of STARBASE Edwards invited AviNation to attend her STEM program rocket test launch, I was honored to accept. Her program involves an ALL-GIRLS, four rocketry teams known as the Mighty in STEM Sisters (MiSS), and a STARBASE Edwards 2.0 team.

HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM

Utilizing the nonprofit, Ms. Flores was able to apply for various grants including The Women’s and Girls’ Fund. As a recipient of the generous award, Ms. Flores founded an afterschool program dedicated to supporting girls from Eastern Kern County called Mighty in STEM Sisters (MiSS), which serves as a secondary program under STARBASE Edwards. The mission of the program is to inspire and enhance STEM engagement among girls from traditionally underserved populations including military-connected students. Through an inclusive STEM program (Rocketry and Aerospace Education), STEM outreach partnerships, and mentors from all segments of society will empower students to be innovative, competitive, and accelerate change. The driving data for this program is that women remain truly underrepresented in computer science and engineering. In 2018, only 7% of Kern’s women report being engineers compared to 16% statewide. Fewer than one in four (24%) California workers in the computer sciences is a woman. Roughly one in six engineers is a woman.

Piloting MiSS from Mojave and Southern Kern districts, the program began with a group of girls who began Top Collar their STEM journey in July 2021 by attending the program at Edwards Air Force Base, CA twice a week. Throughout the year, students were immersed in UGP Blue 2384 C UGP Athletic Gold STEM careers, DoD and military mentors, aerospace 1235 C activities, and developing leadership skills. In December 2021, MiSS developed enough skills to register for The American Rocketry Challenge (TARC), the world’s largest rocket competition. Four MiSS teams were formed and matched with DoD mentors to assist them along in their journey. Triforce, Hotshots, Ultraviolet, and STAR X were created and each student had a specific role and responsibility to fulfill. These roles included a technology lead, project lead, marketing lead, and presentation/engineering lead. Students were preassessed on Rocketry and STEM attitude to measure their knowledge and skills.

Students were immersed in STEM and Aerospace principles and utilized a Computer Aided Design (CAD) program called Onshape, to design a nose cone for the rockets. Students then printed their designs on a 3D printer then decided it was better to utilize a Glowforge laser to print fins. Within two months, students were ready to launch. They assembled their rockets while STARBASE teachers and mentors looked at the thrust-to-weight ratios, checked the motors being used against the approved list, and ran a quick sim to find things such as rod exit speed and who’s getting closest to 800 feet and so on.

Students launched two flights on two separate occasions in hopes to qualify for TARC. Three out of the four teams who were successful in launching their rockets brought their egg capsule and were uncracked. As a team, we listened to the altimeter chirping out the altitude it measured on the flight. A couple of the teams received good altitudes; enough to get a good score, but for one reason or another the scores were disappointing — problems such as chutes that didn’t open or that were too large, wind factors, or failure to light all the motors, or in one case a separation.

THE LAUNCH

In March her team of seventeen young women tested their newly built rockets in flight on Edwards Air Force Base. It was spectacular.

The Rocket Test started at approximately 1540 Hours and was completed by approximately 1700 Hours. The weather was clear, with scattered clouds, and slight wind. Each team showed enthusiasm and demonstrated an ability to work together. At one point while one group was being interviewed, they each confidently answered questions simultaneously in unison, and looked at each other, not canceling each other out while making their point. Teamwork, communication, and mutual respect were being learned here hands-on.

Dr. Amira Flores reaches these young leaders by showing respect, challenging them, sharing exciting information, sharing exciting resources, and working with a great staff team of mentors. Everyone involved on her Mentor leadership team, as Dr. Flores, is super impressive, experienced, has a sense of humor present, and is humble. Dr. Amira Flores is a great leader and motivator for this program.

What stands out to me, is the ability to have access to such a great team of mentor leaders is priceless. There were Air Force Firefighters present for safety precautions too. There was a Public Affairs Officer promoting the Rocketry Launch project live on Facebook. Imagine being able to tell your friends today and thirty-seven years from now that you belonged to an ALL-GIRLS rocketry club on Edwards Air Force Base, in 2022.

ADDISON B COY

9th grade, TARC team name: Triforce

What would your advice be to first-time TARC participants?

Don’t procrastinate.

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of today?

Becoming Sergeant in Cadet Corps.

SIEANNA WOOLSCHLAGER

9th grade, TARC team name: Hot Shots

What was your favorite part of your TARC journey?

My favorite part was physically building the rocket itself. We had already digitally built it, so we knew what to do and building it wasn’t stressful.

What have you learned about yourself since joining MiSS?

I have learned to not be so shy. Whenever I’m confused about something I’m not scared to ask at all, and I’ve always been afraid to ask.

JACQUELINE VARGAS

9th grade, TARC team name: Hotshots

What would your advice be to first-time TARC participants?

Do your best and never give up.

What is your favorite subject?

Ag biology.

SAVANNAH BAILEY

9th grade, TARC team name: Ultraviolet

What was your favorite part of your TARC journey?

Getting to build the rockets.

What have you learned about yourself since joining MiSS?

That I won’t give up no matter what happens.

LANEY FOX

7th grade, TARC team name: Star-X

Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?

I see myself in college for art or science (not sure what type of science yet).

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of today?

I got a 100% on a math test.

JOHANNA MARQUEZ

9th grade, TARC team name: Ultraviolet

What was your favorite part of your TARC journey?

Getting to meet new people.

What would your advice be to first-time TARC participants?

Be patient and keep trying.

ADDISON SCHMIDT

9th grade, TARC team name: Triforce

What was your biggest obstacle and how did you overcome it?

My biggest obstacle in track is not understanding what to do. I overcame it by asking what to do.

What is your favorite subject?

Drama.

]If you could have dinner with anyone in history living now or in the past, who would you choose and why?

Gordon Ramsey so he can cook me a very nice dinner.

VALERIA ACOSTA

7th grade, TARC team name: Star-X

What was your favorite part of your TARC journey?

Meeting my team and mentors.

What would your advice be to first-time TARC participants?

To work together on almost everything and try to get along, and just have fun!

CHARLESE HILL

7th grade, TARC team name: Star-X

What was your favorite part of your TARC journey?

TARC was such an amazing and interactive experience where I gained so much more knowledge about rocketry and teamwork. I had little prior knowledge to rocketry before this experience with TARC, and I learned so many new things and found so many new challenges.

What would your advice be to first-time TARC participants?

Never lose your motivation and keep going.

What have you learned about yourself since joining MiSS?

I’ve learned how to work harder and help my teammates and use my time wisely.

ANNAHY TORRES

9th grade, TARC team name: Hot Shots

What would your advice be to first-time TARC participants?

Aim for your rocket to be as light as possible.

What do you like most about the STARBASE STEM (MiSS) program?

The people.

LEILANI GOMEZ

9th grade, TARC team name: Triforce

What would your advice be to first-time TARC participants?

Don’t do everything on your own.

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of today?

Getting the rocket to work and for it to fly and survive both times.

CAROLINA RIVAS

8th grade, TARC team name: Ultraviolet

Where do you see yourself in five or ten years?

As an air traffic controller. TARC helped me realize how amazing it would be to be an air traffic controller. What personal accomplishment are you most proud of today? I overcame my fears of speaking to others when I needed someone to talk to.

What personal accomplishment are you most proud of today?

I overcame my fears of speaking to others when I needed someone to talk to.

STARBASE Edwards is a DoD STEM program that enhances and improves the knowledge and skills of underserved students in kindergarten through 12th grade through 25 hours of inquirybased curriculum. Since its inception in March 2019, the program grew and surpassed its strategic and business plan within the first year. Due to the local demand for providing STEM outreach initiatives, Amira Flores, STARBASE Edwards director, founded STARBASE Edwards, Inc., a 501c3 in November 2019.