WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE, N.M. (July 1, 2024) Middle school students from the surrounding communities participated in the Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science summer program June 24 to 27 at White Sands Missile Range.
Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science is an Army Educational Outreach Program that enables students to experience science and engineering in real-world Army laboratory settings.
The program is based on a multidisciplinary educational curriculum and is focused on age and grade-appropriate hands-on activities in areas including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computational science, physics, optics, robotics, and chemistry.
The mission of GEMS is to interest young students, who might not otherwise consider a future in STEM, early exposure to science and engineering careers so that they can prepare to attain the appropriate academic training.
Program Coordinator Jessica Sosa who has been organizing GEMS on WSMR for six years said that the program is a very interactive, hands-on program. “I try to touch a little bit of everything we do here on White Sands Missile Range through embracing the Team WSMR concept. We included people on post from ATEC, Garrison, ACS, and CYS,” said Sosa.
For one week each summer, the students are exposed to different applications and professionals of STEM on post. During that week, each day they apply what they are actively learning in individual and group projects and experiments.
On their last day students spent the afternoon presenting with their small groups what they learned and what they will be taking with them to when they return to school after their summer break.
“I am very grateful for the talk that WSMR Commander Colonel Turner gave us. We learned about the three A’s; achieve, always do your best, and always live and lead a clean life. I am very grateful for his talk, and I will be using what he said, and I encourage you all to use what he said in your lives as well,” said Patricia Myers, who will be attending Chapin High School this fall.
The students learned about topics such as radio frequency jamming, the history of WSMR, ethical hacking, climatics testing, coding, and robotics.
“I really enjoyed having free control of the robot,” said Greta Schulte, Young Woman’s STEAM Prep Academy. “I learned a lot about teamwork as well.”
“I learned that the education requirements to get a STEM job on post include degrees in computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, and cyber security,” said Christinna Esqueda, who will be going to Picacho Middle School next year.
Many teachers, high school and college students were involved in making the week a success. “I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this without my volunteers. First starting with my teachers, Lorraine Bridges and Amanda Horton from Centennial High School, Sharron Johnson from Rio Grande Preparatory Institute, and Jennifer Hamilton from Las Cruces High School,” said Sosa.
“Along with my mentors, Andrew To from New Mexico State University, Kitty Baer from Coronado High School, Aidan Garcia from the New Mexico Military Institute, and Kamy Sosa from Centennial High School.”
Anne Marie Chadima
White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs