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DEVCOM CBC Volunteers Promote STEM at Local Science Festival
CCDC Chemical Biological Center Public Affairs | July 18th, 2023
DEVCOM CBC Volunteers Promote STEM at Local Science Festival
DEVCOM CBC Public AffairsJuly 18th, 2023
Stella Lee, a DEVCOM CBC program engineer, teaches children and families about air pressure by demonstrating its effects on a marshmallow at the Magic of Science Fair and Family Festival on June 10. (U.S. Army photo by Aeriel Storey)
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD – About 30 employees from the U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command Chemical Biological Center (DEVCOM CBC) brought the magic of science to thousands of youth from communities neighboring Aberdeen Proving Ground.
The DEVCOM CBC employees volunteered at the annual Magic of Science Fair and Family Festival, helping more than 4,000 visitors kick off their summer in an engaging day filled with fun, sun, and science.
“By volunteering, I hope to get kids interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Hopefully, we inspired some of the kids who visited,” said Linnzi Wright, a research toxicologist at DEVCOM CBC.
The festival was hosted in partnership with the Discovery Center at Water’s Edge and took place on the Harford Community College campus on June 10. The event showcased numerous hands-on STEM activities for people of all ages and skill levels, including a robotics arena, website and game design classes, drone exhibitions, K-9 working dog demonstrations, science fair competitions, carnival games, and more.
Children and parents alike found the event to be fun and rewarding. Two local Harford County parents, Jeremy and Danielle Aronowitz said, “It’s been great! Our kids love science and there are a lot of fun and innovative activities for them.”
The Center played a key role in the success of the event, thanks to a grant awarded by the Army Educational Outreach Program (AEOP). DEVCOM CBC biologist Alena Calm took the initiative to submit a proposal for a new mini-grant pilot through the AEOP and was awarded funding for her idea to pair innovative, hands-on STEM activities with volunteers from DEVCOM CBC. “I was so happy when I saw all these people come,” said Calm. “The support has been overwhelming.”
The grant-funded activities proved to be a beneficial investment at the festival, providing exciting educational opportunities to even the youngest generations of upcoming scientists. “Our four-year-old loves science. The robots were really exciting for him, and he enjoyed learning about Bernoulli’s principle with the balloons,” said Michael and Miriam Costa.
The event aimed to support and encourage local STEM education and outreach to a large, diverse community, enabling people to come together and be inspired by recognizing the possibilities of science and how it can shape the future.
The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) leads in the discovery, development and delivery of technology-based capabilities to enable Soldiers to win our nation’s wars and come home safely. DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command. The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center is the Army’s principal research and development center for chemical and biological defense technology, engineering and field operations. The DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center is headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.