Community Involvement

Community Involvement/Special Events/Programs

To effectively support our educational efforts APL has on staff an Educational Outreach Coordinator. The office supports a wide range of activities for students. APL partners with many local schools and school systems to provide quality research internships and participates in many education related events. The coordinator matches technical staff volunteers with community education needs and programs and APL hosts special events in conjunction with certain schools on special occasions. The Educational Outreach Office also provides expertise for local and state advisory boards and committees addressing educational issues.

Staff Involvement in Education Efforts in the Community

APL staff scientist M. Jansen volunteered at the Heads-Up Summer Science Fair held at the Montgomery County campus of the Hopkins Evening College.

A. Darrin, from APL’s Research and Technology Development Center, is a frequent speaker at education programs and events. At the request of our Education Outreach Office, Darrin gives an overview of the skills needed for a career as a scientific researcher.

Another staffer who volunteers time for educational purposes is D. Scheidt. Scheidt , who heads APL’s autonomous vehicle research efforts, is always a hit discussing his work with the robot and small aircraft models (unmanned aerial vehicles) he brings. But he also has a humorous slide show that presents some unconventional reasons for choosing an engineering career.

Educational Outreach in Hawaii

Through the efforts of one of our staff members serving in our field office at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, APL has an “adopted school" in Hawaii. On behalf of APL, staff member S. Rogers adopted the Kalaheo Elementary School. He visits classes to discuss and demonstrate "Principles of Flight" and to talk to older students about math, scienc, and engineering as potential career choices. He has also helped install new playground equipment and personally donated a new color laser printer for a Gifted and Talented Writing class to print out their projects.

Star-Gazing Night Activity: In Photo 1 APL team member D. Adversario helps a teacher from Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School assemble a telescope kit on site at Kukuiolono. Photo 2: S. Rogers, who heads the field office, explains some of the celestial objects visible that night to Kalaheo Elementary School Principal E. Burkman, while H. Rogers looks through one of the several telescopes available.

Bloodmobile Stops By

The Red Cross bloodmobile made its second visit to the APL campus in July. The large number of staff donors qualifies APL for its own on-site collection station three times each year. This has been an APL tradition for more than sixty-four years, since the Lab’s early days when staff members supported the war effort during WW II.