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Civil Air Patrol Aerospace Education has great news to share this month!
First, the STEM Kit program is growing. There are three new STEM Kits available -- MyHome Snap Circuits (pictured), Sphero indi, and Strawbees. In addition, the Bee-Bot/Code and Go Mouse Kit has been updated to replace the Code and Go Mouse with the Space Rover robot. Full details are in the newsletter.
In other news, winners in the third annual Civil Air Patrol's High-Altitude Balloon Challenge were announced this week. Wisconsin Wing's Stevens Point Composite Squadron finished first, receiving the 2023 Kittinger Cup and an accompanying $5,000 prize for an experiment exploring cold welding in low Earth orbit. To find out how to see all the winners as well as a video presentation of the announcement, read the story below.
Also, check out our updates on the AEX and TOP flight programs, and don't miss the member story of an AEM from Florida Wing.
If you have any information you'd like to see highlighted in the newsletter, contact us at ae@capnhq.gov.
(Photo caption: Some of the new kits, such as MyHome Snap Circuits, were featured in AE labs at CAP's National Conference in Bellevue, Washington, this past August.)
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THIS MONTH: Member story - Program updates - AE Safety Check - Curriculum - News and Events - Important things to know | |
Balloon Challenge winners announced! | |
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At the end of a six-month national STEM challenge, which included about 950 cadets from 115 squadrons representing all eight regions, the winners of the 2023 AE National High-Altitude Balloon Challenge for Cadets have been announced. Conducted in memory of the late USAF (ret) Col. Joe Kittinger, the HABC Ambassador, the teams eagerly awaited the big reveal of which cadet team would earn the 2023 Kittinger Cup and $5,000 prize donated by Col. Kittinger’s widow, Sherry Kittinger.
- And, the winning team is the Stevens Point Composite Squadron from the Great Lakes Region, Wisconsin Wing.
- 18 other squadron teams earned unit grant awards provided by CAP’s treasured partner, the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA).
See the article about the HABC winners HERE. See all winning entries and linked videos from Maj. Gen. Edward D. Phelka, Civil Air Patrol national commander and CEO, and the teams HERE.
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PROGRAM UPDATES
New STEM Kits are now available
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Three new kits are available in Civil Air Patrol's AE STEM Kit Program. AEOs and AEMs can now apply for Sphero indi (top right), MyHome Snap Circuits (top, left) and Strawbees (top center) STEM kits. Sphero indi, a separate kit from Sphero Bolt (still available), features an indi rolling car robot that offers screenless programming using color sensor cards for building mazes and solving puzzles.
With MyHome Snap Circuits, cadets and students will use hands-on activities to learn about circuitry, security systems, generators and more. Learners can construct a house or city tower with seven base grids and working 3D circuits.
With Strawbees, cadets and students can design and build structures from more than 300 pieces, including connectors and straws. The kit is perfect for young architects and engineers to design bridges, buildings, and structures of the future.
In addition to the three new kits, the Bee Bot/Code and Go Mouse STEM Kit is now the BeeBot/Space Rover STEM Kit (pictured at right). The kit is designed to teach young children entry-level, hands-on coding principles without the use of computers or the internet. This kit allows young children to apply skills. such as sequencing, estimation, control and problem-solving as they begin an early path to cyber knowledge.
Also, please note that the VTOL and Raspberry Pi STEM Kits are no longer available.
For more information on the new and updated kits, click the links below.
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Aerospace Education Excellence (AEX) Program | |
AEX Award registration for squadrons and AEMs: Now is the perfect time to register for the 2023-2024 AEX Program. AEX program activities should take place from Oct. 1-Sept. 30 each year. Activities and resources are available in eServices, To learn more about the AEX Program, click the link below. | |
AEMs, take a Teacher Orientation Program flight! | |
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Each year, all educator members of CAP are eligible to take a Teacher Orientation Program (TOP) flight over their home and community location.
ANY educator member (AE member or Senior Member who is an educator) can plan the annual flight by contacting the state’s AE leader (see list HERE.) Each TOP flight request should include the teacher’s name and CAP ID#, cell phone number, and the city/state where the flight will take place. If two educators wish to fly together, both persons’ information should be included. (Both will get an opportunity to sit in the front seat and take the plane’s controls to fly the plane!)
Want to know more about TOP flights like the ones received by the teachers in the photos here? Check out the FAQs mid-page on the TOP Flight webpage link below and contact YOUR state’s AE leader NOW to plan YOUR flight!
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(Welcome to AE Safety Check! These safety nuggets are things to think about as you lead or participate in an Aerospace Education activity. The writer of this monthly feature is Lt. Col. Karen Cooper, who works in safety and risk management on the AE National Headquarters Staff and is also the Northeast Region DCS/Aerospace Education.)
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TAKE STEPS TO REDUCE ERROR
To err is human. Yes, human errors occur, even during well-planned AE activities. But that doesn’t mean we can’t do something about them. Three common types of human errors are slips/lapses (distracted), mistakes, and violations. But keep in mind that blame will not fix the error – learning from those mistakes and improving will. So how do you do that? Create a system (such as collecting and storing Xacto knives and hot glue guns), providing training, and encouraging open communication. After Action Reports (AARs) can also provide great insight. Developing a system to minimize the risk of human error will help ensure that you don't repeat the same mistakes again.
Human error is recognized to be roughly one out of 1,000 steps – not one out of 1,000 events. And if you hurry, or are stressed, that number drops to one out of every 100 steps. It doesn’t take long to complete 100 steps.
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If you have a safety topic you would like to be included in this space, please email kcooper@ner.cap.gov. | |
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AEM STORY
Florida STEM teacher passes her
passion for aviation to her students
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 |  | Meet Barbara Walters-Phillips, the STEM coach at Little River Elementary School in Orlando, Florida. She has been teaching in Orlando for 30 years, having begun her career in Maryland. She became a teacher because she has always loved working with young people. She began integrating aviation into the curriculum early in her career. "My dad was a private pilot, and growing up in Pennsylvania, I spent a lot of weekends at the airport in my small hometown of Mifflintown," she says. "I realized how exciting this was and started teaching aviation to my fifth graders." She became so immersed in aviation that she earned her private pilot's license in 1990. She shares this love of aerospace with her students. "I am very passionate about teaching Aerospace Education because it is so motivating for students! From my elementary school students that I teach at school to the middle and high school students I teach on Saturdays at the airport, it is highly motivating and exciting." She has been an Aerospace Education Member (AEM) with Civil Air Patrol since 1986. "It was a real turning point in my teaching career," she says of CAP. She researched and wrote the CAP booklet Tuskegee Airmen: Red Tail Honor with Pride in collaboration with Susan Mallett of the Aerospace Education National Headquarters staff. She is active in the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) as well as other aviation organizations and has been recognized for her work as an aerospace educator, including being named the 1994 Scott Crossfield Educator of the Year. "I love what I do!" she says. "I am very fortunate to be part of the aviation community, where everyone is so supportive and encouraging of one another." Click the link below to read her story.
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"I participate in the ACE program because I love the curriculum! I use the 3rd-, 4th- and 5th-grade materials each year, and the students genuinely enjoy the lessons."
-- Barbara Walters-Phillips, Florida AEM
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CURRICULUM SPOTLIGHT
Teamwork in Aerospace
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With the start of the new fiscal year, it is time to register your squadron (AEOs) or classroom (AEMs in grades 7-12) for Civil Air Patrol's Aerospace Excellence in Education (AEX) Program. This month's lesson plan was popular among squadrons who participated in the 2022-2023 program. Through the Teamwork in Aerospace lesson, cadets and students will learn about the importance of teams in the aerospace industry. Participants work in groups of four with specific roles (manager, design engineer, test engineer -- pilot, and manufacturer) with their "company." The groups are tasked to work as a team to design and test a paper glider. The lesson is found in Civil Air Patrol's AEX II (2020) booklet as Activity Six. Or find it here. Find out more about the AEX Program here.
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Each month, this space features important highlights or answers to frequently asked questions. Here are four things you need to know as an AEM or AEO. | |
AEOs: There is a new FAQ page for AEOs on the website | |
There is a new FAQ page for AEOs on the Aerospace Education web pages of GoCivilAirPatrol.com. You will find answers to your questions about serving as an AEO. This will especially be good to check out for new AEOs, but veteran AEOs might find some answers to questions they have as well. We encourage all AEOs to check out this page Here is an example of one of the questions and the answer. Follow the link to find out. | |
AEMs: Is it time to renew your membership? | |
All Aerospace Education Members (AEMs) are offered an annual FREE “in-kind renewal." The online renewal email is sent 60 days prior to the membership expiration date. A renewal banner appears at the top of the eServices sign-in page 90 days prior to expiring. (You can’t renew earlier than 90 days.) Find additional information at the link below. | |
AEOs: Reach out to AEMs whose memberships expire soon | |
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AEOs, this is the perfect time to reach out to your AEMs whose memberships expire within 60 days or whose memberships have expired. For more guidance, see Recruiting and Retention of AEMs on the AEO Resources page link below.
Please note: CAP has several categories of membership, but each member can only be assigned one category of membership. Any adult uniformed member, who is an educator, may access all the resources available to an AEM.
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ACE registration is open for the 2023-2024 school year | |
Last year, more than 97,000 students participated in CAP's Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) program. K-6 teachers can register for this grade-specific STEM program for the 2023-2024 school year by clicking the link below. | | | | |
