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Inspiring Aviators at the Nation’s Largest Celebration of STEM

News > Inspiring Aviators at the Nation’s Largest Celebration of STEM

Gleim Aviation Helps Kick Off New Aviation Pavilion at the USA Science and Engineering Festival

April 6, 2018, Washington, D.C. The 2018 USA Science & Engineering Festival is the nation’s largest celebration of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). It is an all-ages expo that takes place this weekend, April 7 & 8. Nearly 400,000 people are expected to attend the event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. The entire family can enjoy more than 3,000 hands-on exhibits and activities at the event, which is publicized as the “nation’s largest science fair.” Most activities take about 15 minutes to complete, so definitely consider coming out for both days. Plus, admission is totally free of charge!

STEM education is fundamental in creating active participants in the development of our society. Most of the things we take for granted in our daily lives are a result of STEM-related fields. Without STEM we’d have no planes, no medicine, no mobile devices, and certainly no internet! It’s hard to imagine life without the luxuries STEM has afforded us. It’s important to recognize STEM professionals, celebrate their achievements, and inspire the next generation of scientists, programmers, engineers, and mathematicians. As the late founder of the USA Science & Engineering Festival, Larry Bock, said, “A nation gets what it celebrates!”

    

Gleim Aviation kicked off the festival’s first-ever Aviation Pavilion yesterday, alongside the Federal Aviation Administration, the Experimental Aircraft Association, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and other industry leaders. Visitors to the Gleim booth learn the physics behind how airplanes fly and take to the skies in the Gleim Virtual Cockpit flight simulator. Teachers can learn about the resources Gleim has available to teach aviation and the STEM Resource Hub. Thousands of children, young adults, and teachers are finding out what it takes to pilot an airplane, many of whom are being introduced to the exciting field of aviation for their first time!

“Seeing the smiles on children’s faces once they realize this is something they can actually do is very satisfying” said Paul Duty, Gleim chief instructor. “When I was 14, I was able to fly a flight simulator, and I’ve had aviation in my blood ever since!” Someday you might be riding on an airliner piloted by or perhaps designed by one of the thousands of visitors whose curiosity was fueled at the event.

  

Gleim representatives Paul Duty (chief instructor) and Steve Franks (aviation STEM teacher) introduce a group of students to aviation through flight simulation.

Lockheed Martin is the presenting expo sponsor, with their own pavilion titled “This Science Isn’t Fiction.” Their pavilion touches on just about every STEM application you can find throughout the expo, but the focus is on demonstrating that a lot of the cool things we’ve seen in our favorite sci-fi books, shows, and movies are already in development at Lockheed Martin. See how far robots have come and learn about what’s new in cargo transportation. We took some time to check out a full-scale RAIDER helicopter and hop on an F-35 fighter jet! After visiting Lockheed Martin’s virtual base camp on Mars, you’ll see that the sky is not the limit!

Attendees can visit the Career Pavilion to learn about STEM-related careers and meet top scientists and engineers from some of the nation’s premier innovative organizations. Aside from aviation, the Engineering & High Tech Pavilion showcases the cutting-edge of high tech computing, while robots mingle at the nearby Makerspace Pavilion. The Sustainability Pavilion is dedicated to maintaining the environment and ecological balance when harvesting resources. There is even a Kids Pavilion, where curious minds under age 7 can try out amazing kid-friendly, hands-on exhibits. There are 18 pavilions in total so there’s no shortage of fun activities to do, amazing shows to see, and awe-inspiring things to learn.

The festival’s theme is “STEM Can Take You . . .” It’s awesome to see the excitement of families and students at the USA Science & Engineering Festival eager to learn how STEM can take them from the oceans to cyberspace and even to outer space. Start your experience at the USA Science & Engineering Festival at the Gleim booth, so that we can show you how STEM can help you take to the skies and how Gleim can be by your side in your journey to get there. Enjoy the festival!

Learn more about the USA Science & Engineering Festival.

About Gleim Aviation

Since 1980, the Gleim Aviation team of pilots, instructors, writers, designers, and programmers has helped aviators pass millions of FAA knowledge and practical tests using the unique Gleim Knowledge Transfer System. Gleim is an environmentally-friendly company headquartered in Gainesville, FL.

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