The DoD STARBASE Program is designed to raise the interest and improve knowledge and skills of students in kindergarten through twelfth grade in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The program targets minority and/or low socio-economic students and utilizes instruction modules specifically designed to meet specific STEM objectives.

The elementary school program is designed to reach students at the fifth and sixth grade levels that are underrepresented in the STEM careers and areas of study. Students attend a five-day program and are engaged through an inquiry-based curriculum with “hands-on, minds-on” experiential activities. Students apply Newton’s laws and Bernoulli’s principles as they study the wonders of space and properties of matter. Technology and its problem-solving techniques are utilized, with computers used in design of all-terrain and space vehicles. Learning math is embedded in the curriculum, and learning teamwork and goal setting are stressed as a constant theme as students work together to explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate concepts.

The middle school program, known as DoD STARBASE 2.0, is an after school STEM education and mentoring initiative, conducted in partnership with local school districts, that combines STEM activities with a relationship-rich, school-based environment to provide the missing link for youth making the transition from elementary to middle school, and from middle school to high school. It extends the positive impact of STARBASE through a team mentoring approach which solidifies students’ attachment to and engagement with school. STEM clubs meet four or more hours per month.

The DoD STARBASE Program is a productive investment in the future of our youth and will help build and enlarge the talent pool of potential workers needed to support the DoD workforce consisting of civilian and military personnel.

Military volunteers apply abstract principles to real world situations by leading tours and giving lectures on the use of STEM in different settings and careers. Since the academies are located in different branches of the military this experience is highly varied. Students may discuss how chemical fires are extinguished, learn how injured are transported, explore the cockpit of an F-18 or the interior of a C-130, or glimpse what life is like in a submarine.

Why STARBASE?
DoD STARBASE offers a positive, proven approach to engendering excitement and interest in science, technology, engineering and math. This knowledge is important to our nation's future because:

• During this decade, employment in science and engineering occupations is expected to increase at almost four times the rate for all occupation.
• In a comparison of 15 year olds in 27 countries, United States youth ranked 18th in math and 14th in science.
• The rapid pace of technological change, and globalization of the economy, simply demands that our workforce be literate in science and math.
• Less than 1% of current elementary school students will seek advanced education in the sciences.
• When compared with the performance of students from other countries around the world, the performance of U.S. fourth graders in TIMSS math and science was lower in 2003 than in 1995.
• An over-reliance on the math and science talent of foreign students represents a major potential weakness in the future competitiveness and vitality of the U.S. economy and workforce. (Keeping America Competitive, Education Commission of the States)
• Students who attend DoD STARBASE Academies increase their knowledge and skills in math and science.
• Students who attend DoD STARBASE improve their attitudes about and their confidence in math and science.

DoD STARBASE Curriculum
DoD STARBASE is a world leader in introducing the latest science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)curriculum to elementary students. The inquiry based curriculum, engages students in exciting "hands-on, mind-on" experiments and technology activities. The program provides students with 20-25 hours of stimulating experiences at National Guard, Navy, Marine, Air Force Reserve and Air Force bases across the nation.

1. Physics (3.5 hours): Newton's Laws of Motion Fluid Mechanics and Aerodynamics
2. Chemistry (3.5 hours): Building Blocks of Matter Physical and Chemical Changes Atmospheric Properties
3. Technology (4.0 hours): Innovations Navigation and Mapping
4. Engineering (4.0 hours): Engineering and Design Process 3-D Computer Aided Design
5. Mathematics Operations and Applications (2.0 hours): Numbers and Number Relationships Measurement Geometry Data Analysis
6. STEM Careers (1.5 hours): STEM Careers on Military Facilities Personal Investigations

DoD STARBASE Website