Welcome home VFA-34 ‘Blue Blasters’ VOLUME 52 NO. 31
AUGUST 2, 2012
SERVING NAVAL AIR STATION OCEANA
INSIDEJET
ARCHBISHOP BLESSES CATHOLIC CHAPEL
PAGE 3
CPO 365 PREPARING SAILORS FOR CHANGE
PAGE 9 Give the gift of life! The next Armed Services Blood Program drives on Oceana will be Aug. 16, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at CNATTU, building 340 and Aug. 29, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Branch Health Clinic. Visit www. militaryblood. dod for info.
•
DAM NECK ANNEX
•
CHAMBERS FIELD
From rockets to robots: Navy engineers look to middle schools to build future workforce STORY/PHOTO BY TAMMY VAN DAME Combat Direction Systems Activity Dam Neck Public Affairs Officer
“Our inspiration comes from their excitement,” said Capt.Stephen H.Kelley,commanding officer Combat Direction Systems Activity (CDSA) Dam Neck, whose Navy command provided several mentors.In addition to CDSA Dam Neck,Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Naval Surface Warfare Center
NDEP VDP originated under the Office of Naval Research (ONR) N-STAR (Naval Research — Science and Technology for America’s Readiness),a science and technology workforce develThe U.S. Navy is going back to middle school opment program launched in 2004 by the ONR. to find and foster their future engineers and sciIt was initiated to show a diversity of pre-teens entists.At Norview High School in and teens that math, science and Norfolk, Navy engineers and sciengineering are fascinating, fun and entists from four Hampton Roads socially relevant. commands joined forces with the Since its inception,VDP’s ultimate National Defense Education Progoal has been to establish educagram (NDEP) Virginia Demonstrational outreach programs at other tion Project, the College of WilNavy research and development liam and Mary and local middle centers throughout the country. school educators to bring a STEM “We see STEM education as an in(Science,Technology, Engineering vestment in our own research and and Mathematics) Academy to the development future, said Kelley. area for a second year in a row “Today, Navy engineers and scienJuly 16 - 20. tists could be helping to guide one Eighty students from various of these young people to a career Hampton Roads schools got to path of which they might not have put their skills to the test in a considered otherwise, which could week-long series of hands-on scilead to saving Sailors’ lives or allow entific activities and challenges for ships to become more environdesigned to promote interest in mentally conservative. It is beyond fields typically considered “too rewarding.” hard.” The students worked with CDSA Dam Neck engineer Carolyn Lambeth (r) serves as a mentor to one of the The initiative could eventually exrockets to robots to learn about small groups at the 2nd Annual Hampton Roads STEM Academy July 16-20 at pand beyond the Navy and evolve various scientific and math prin- Norview High School in Norfolk. CDSA Dam Neck was one of four Navy organiza- into a national demonstration projciples through group challenges tions participating. Mentors also came from the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Naval ect encompassing all DoD laboratoSurface Warfare Center, Carderock Division and SPAWAR Systems Atlantic. with their Navy and academia ries in a sustained effort to secure mentors. the long-term competitiveness of “I knew science was cool, but not this cool,” Carderock and Space and Naval Warfare Systems America’s science and technology workforce by said Spencer Castle, a rising 7th grader at William Command Atlantic also provided mentors. hooking more kids on math and science at an E. Waters Middle School in Portsmouth, whose The NDEP VDP goal is to increase the attrac- earlier age. As a result, the number of students father serves in the Navy. “The STEM Academy tion of the Navy’s warfare centers and shipyards earning university degrees in science, mathematlets me figure out things with my hands.That is as an eventual place of employment for students ics, engineering and technology is expected to how I learn best.” participating in the program. exponentially increase.