'New skills were learned, fresh interests were sparked -- mission accomplished'

Feb. 27, 2026 / Fifteen Brixner Junior High students recently dove into the hands-on world of STEAM -- science, technology, engineering, art, and math -- through the STARBASE 2.0/Advanced Team’s STEAM Career Exploration Outreach program. 

During 12 afterschool club sessions, led by STARBASE director Alesha Earnest of Kingsley Field, the students piloted flight simulators, built and navigated robot obstacle courses, competed with battle bots, and created personalized designs through CAD (computer-aided design) software that were 3D printed by the STARBASE team. The program’s goal is to increase STEAM knowledge and engagement, while encouraging students to explore potential careers in these fields.

“Students flew to new heights as they steered the yoke and rudder pedals of our flight simulators,” Earnest said. “Victory was claimed by the top engineers in the battle bot challenges, and each student left with a 3D-printed creation of their own design -- a tangible reminder of their time in the program.”

The program also partnered with the Mazama STEM&M program, with four STEM&M students volunteering to assist during sessions.

STARBASE 2.0/Advanced is an advanced version of the traditional DoD STARBASE Kingsley program, which provides 25 hours of hands-on STEAM curriculum for fifth graders. The advanced program specifically targets 6th–8th graders in schools seeking additional DoD STARBASE resources. Activities range from testing Newton’s Laws of Motion and launching rockets to engineering safety restraints, programming EV3 robots, navigating with GPS, and exploring energy, fluids, and 3D design.

“New skills were learned, fresh interests were sparked -- mission accomplished,” Earnest said.