Education Outreach

Colleges & Universities

The Virginia AeroSpace Business Association (VASBA) is strongly committed to developing the next generation of Aerospace professionals in the Commonwealth. With so many aerospace companies in Virginia, it is paramount that the Commonwealth grow its own skilled workforce to meet current and future needs. Our approach is to support technicians and engineers that are going to be needed to keep Virginia viable in the future aerospace arena. Competition for high tech aerospace industry growth will be largely dependent upon Virginia's ability to provide the highly skilled technicians and engineers to support that growth. We know education is a necessary fixture to grow that skilled workforce and in support of that notion, VASBA is supporting a number of Virginia colleges and universities.

Those institutions include:

• ​Virginia Military Institute
• Tidewater Community College
• Old Dominion University
• Virginia State University
• Virginia Peninsula Community College
• Eastern Shore Community College
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Averett University

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Pre-College STEM Student Programs

VASBA also supports K-12 STEM education programs to encourage our youth to discover the aerospace field, and the excitement and opportunities it represents. We live in an exciting time for the aerospace industry, and the Commonwealth needs to be actively positioning itself for the future. STEM can help develop that excitement and VASBA offers sponsorship opportunities to organizations that promote that excitement for our young people. 

Virginia Space Flight Academy, Wallops Island

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Virginia Space Flight Academy is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to offer innovative learning experiences that inspire and enhance young people's interest in science, technology, engineering, and math and related career opportunities.
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https://vaspaceflightacademy.org/

​Menchville High School Triple Helix Robotics Team

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A consistent leader in advocating for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the region of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Triple Helix seeks to spread understanding and appreciation for STEM disciplines within our community by a) building both life skills and world-class competition robots, b) engaging in iterative and collaborative learning, and c) exemplifying gracious professionalism.
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http://team2363.org

​Airfield 4-H Educational
​Center

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The Airfield 4-H Educational Center offers an exciting Aerospace Camp that focuses on the sciences involved in space exploration, aviation, and aeronautics. The STEM themed camp exposes campers to new life experiences they won’t get anywhere else and will remember them for a lifetime. Campers participate in model rocketry, drones, radiation testing, exploration of thermal dynamics by crafting sky lanterns, astronomy and telescope activities, a planetarium and much more! Not only is this camp focused on the aerospace industry and its related STEM topics, but this camp also includes such opportunities as participation in a space drama that requires campers to determine the final outcome of a galactic battle.
 
https://www.airfield4hcenter.org/
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Denbigh High School Aviation Academy

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Denbigh High School's Aviation Academy is a nationally recognized STEM site with a focus on piloting, aircraft maintenance, engineering, computers and electronics. Our mission is to provide a quality education that will maximize the potential of every student by providing them with the knowledge, skillsets, experiences and values needed in the 21st Century workplace.

https://aviation.nn.k12.va.us/

Virginia Aerospace Science and Technology Scholars (VASTS)

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A consistent leader in advocating for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the region of Hampton Roads, Virginia, Triple Helix seeks to spread understanding and appreciation for STEM disciplines within our community by a) building both life skills and world-class competition robots, b) engaging in iterative and collaborative learning, and c) exemplifying gracious professionalism.
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http://team2363.org

Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS)

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The Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) program is an interactive on-line science, technology, engineering and mathematics learning experience for Virginia high school juniors and seniors, highlighted by a seven-day residential summer academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Students selected to participate in the program are immersed in NASA-related research through interaction with scientists, engineers and technologists. The program is a partnership between the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and NASA Langley Research Center.

https://vsgc.odu.edu/VESSS/
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Cubes in Space™
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Cubes in Space is an experiential and inquiry-based STEM program with the goal of enabling young students, ages 11-18 years of age, to develop critical knowledge and skills that are sustainable and transferable across disciplines and future academic pursuits and careers.  After acquiring and applying inquiry and research skills, along with knowledge about suborbital science and spaceflight, students identify a real-world Earth or space-based problem, need or scenario for which an experiment hypothesis is designed.  Students develop an experiment concept where suborbital flight or environmental conditions act on the chosen experiment subject object or material that is integrated into a small, plastic payload cube.  Pre- and post-flight testing methods and procedures are entirely designed by the students.  The culminating deliverable, the Post-Flight Analysis Report, is submitted to iEDU and our Cubes in Space program office. Cubes in Space is an iEDU program offered in collaboration with NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility, NASA’s Balloon Program Office, and NASA’s Sounding Rocket Program Office. ​

https://www.cubesinspace.com/

​New Horizons Governor's School for Science & Technology

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The Governor's School provides a cohesive, innovative science and mathematics program which:

• Embraces quality programming standards for gifted students recommended by the Virginia Department of Education and the National Association for Gifted Children,
• Prepares students for acceptance into top universities
• Provides a cohesive sequence of courses in science, research, and mathematics
• Provides opportunities for social peer interaction, as well as career and college guidance
• Provides leadership education and opportunities throughout the program

The Purpose of the GSST is to provide gifted high school students academic opportunities beyond those normally available in their home schools

https://nhrec.org/gsst/

New Horizons NASA Knights Robotics Team

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With the help of NASA Langley Researcher Center, the NASA Knights team has participated in competitions for many years. The teams have about 50 students from schools all over Hampton Roads, including homeschooled students. They gather in the new robotics lab at New Horizons Regional Education Center in Hampton, spending their after-school hours, building, testing and programming as well as having fun and learning a lot. NASA employees and retirees also help by mentoring the students and volunteering at the tournament.

https://team122.org/​

The Newport News (VA) Chapter of The Links, National Society of Black Engineers, Jr. (NSBE) 

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The Newport News (VA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated Dr. Christine Mann Darden NSBE Jr. chapter provides middle and high school students of underrepresented communities in Hampton Roads, VA with hands-on activities focusing on STEM disciplines.  The hands-on learning activities include robotics, coding, electric race car driving, marketing, presentation skills, flying drones flying, drone programming, and video production.

http://www.newportnewslinks.org/
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