Twenty students from Proctor High School, Utica, participated in hands-on activities at the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Information Directorate in Rome, New York March 3 as part of National Week at the Labs initiative.
The Information Directorate’s Educational Outreach Office and the Air Force Research Laboratory, in conjunction with the invited students took part in activities including: Cryptography, the Anechoic Chamber, and Visualization/Optical Illusions.
The initiative is designed to bring together scientists, engineers, and lab workers to engage students, especially those in underserved communities, in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math related activities.
Jeff DeMatteis, the Information Directorate’s STEM Outreach coordinator, is always enthusiastic on showing young students what is within their reach and right in their backyard.
“It is vital that the emerging generation see the cutting edge technology that is going on in our national labs. For one, they get to see the awesome technical jobs that are right here in the back yard. Second, hopefully the technology we are showing them today will inspire them to think about and one day develop the technology that we will be using the in future.”