Welcome to the AV STEM Center Blog

This blog will provide information about Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics efforts within the Antelope Valley, as well as links to helpful STEM sites and info from beyond. Check back periodically for updates.

Connect a Million Minds Tagline

Connect a Million Minds Tagline

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Loss of a STEM Pioneer

Antelope Valley STEM Education has lost a pioneer with the passing of Bob Johnstone on Saturday, 8 November 2014.  A retired engineer from Edwards AFB, Director of The Aerospace Office at the City of Lancaster, and Chairman of the AV Math Science Engineering and Technology  Consortium, among many other positions and accomplishments, Bob was one of the leaders of the "homegrown engineer" effort for his beloved Aerospace Valley, which helped bring Project Lead the Way pathways to many schools in the area, as well as facilitating degree completion programs with AVC and CSULB-AV.  One of his most recent efforts was to help coordinate the move to create and grow the AV East Kern STEM Learning Network.  Bob will be sincerely missed by his many colleagues and friends.  Services will be held Friday, 14 November 2014, at 10:00am PST, at the Joshua Memorial Park in Lancaster.  In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to DELTA Rescue, PO Box 9, Glendale, CA 91209.




Friday, November 7, 2014

CSLN STEM Summit Scheduled for 3/16-17/2015 in Los Angeles

The California STEM Learning Network will be hosting its fifth annual STEM Summit at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles on 16-17 March 2015, with a theme of "Unleashing Curiosity Through STEM."  Featured speakers are scheduled to include California Assembly Member Susan Bonilla, Dr. Dennis Bartels of the Exploratorium, and Chris Roe, CEO of CSLN.  A variety of breakout sessions are planned.  Spaces are limited, and early registration is encouraged.  Visit CSLN STEM Summit for additional detail and to register.

Cubes in Space Competition Seeks Middle and High School Experiments; Register by 1/12/15

"Cubes in Space," a collaboration among NASA's Science Mission Directorate, the Colorado Space Grant Consortium, and idoodlelearning.com, is providing students around the world aged 11-14 years old to design, prepare and compete at no cost to have their experiments launched into space via a Terrier-Orion sounding rocket launched from Wallop Island, Virginia next June.  Registration for the sponsored teams is now open, with a deadline to register by 12 January 2015; materials regarding the competition are available for download.

A second opportunity is available for US students aged 11-18 years old to have their experiment launched from a high-altitude balloon at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico in September 2015.

For further information and to register, visit Cubes in Space Competition .
(If you attended the STEMPosium and heard Christy Papadopolous from XCOR, this should inspire you to have your experiments "leave this rock"!)

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Third Annual STEMPosium Event Features Mike Melvill and Nathalie Gossett

The Antelope Valley's third annual STEMPosium, held on 5 November 2014 at the Larry Chimbole Cultural Center in Palmdale, hosted over 200 local business, industry, government, and education stakeholders on hand to learn more about the state of STEM in the region.  Three panel discussions featured education partners from AVC's STEM Grant (Christos Valiotis, Project Director), Cal State University Long Beach's Antelope Valley Engineering Program (Dr. Ken Santarelli, Director), Antelope Valley Union High School District (Greg Nehen, Asst. Sup. of Ed. Services), AVC Palmdale Center (Sharon Dalmage, Director), and AVC SB1070/Career Pathways Trust Grant (Dr. Tom O'Neil, Project Director) who discussed progress in each segment, as well as Young Industry Professionals (Stefan and Eileen from BAE Systems, Christy from XCOR, and Justin from AFRL) regarding their experiences, and current industry leaders, Dianne Knippel (Edison), Al Bowers (NASA Armstrong), and Richard Caulkins (LA County Sanitation Districts) on how best to prepare students for the STEM workforce.

Nathalie Gosset, futurist and Senior Director of Marketing and Technology Innovation Evaluation from the Alfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at USC, provided a thought-provoking presentation on gender-specific education customization in STEM fields based upon brain research.

On the tenth anniversary of SpaceShip One, keynote speaker Mike Melvill, the first civilian astronaut and long-time test pilot, gave a retrospective of the development and preparation process in Mojave leading up the  historical spaceflights which won the Ansari X Prize.

Local middle schools including Hillview, Joe Walker, and TPAA had displays, as did the Society of Women Engineers and the Falcon Academy of Sustainable Technology  Solar Car Project.  Video presentations of AVC's STEM Club and Knight High School's Outback Challenge team, as well as "A Perfect Fuel for the Rewards of Risk" rounded out the day.