FAMESTM | Finance, Arts, and STEM: FAMES (www.famesusa.org) 2016 Summer STEM Program was highly successful. FAMES launched an eight-week Summer STEM Program for 45 students from grades 6-9 attending Summer Camp at Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington (BGCGW) located in Northeast Washington DC. Titled, “Introducing STEM career paths – Presentations by role models” the program featured speakers from academia, business, NASA, and the U.S. Air Force who volunteered their time to share their personal stories and talk to students about their career paths and current work. By sharing their experiences and introducing participants to a variety of careers in the aerospace industry, they became role models and mentors for the students. The speakers’ presentations exposed the students to science and engineering beyond what their classroom education currently provides.
Impact on the Students
The success of the FAMES 2016 program was articulated by the students, the
BGCGW Managers, and the role model speakers. According to student essays written at the conclusion of the program, 90% of the participants were inspired to attend college and to consider STEM careers in science, engineering and even to become military pilots and astronauts. Many students wrote essays on how they felt encouraged by the role models, while others communicated directly to the role models after their presentations. In the words of the students: “…it does not matter where you’re from you can accomplish anything”, “…I want to go to college for being an astronaut”, “…I think with him being a scientist and talking about the future makes me want to be an engineer or entrepreneur and doing good for the community”, “…Mr. Drew made science interesting. I might go into a Science and Engineering major.”
Comments from BGCGW Directors
The BGCGW Program Director noted that “the program has been marvelous for our youth”. The Regional Artistic & STEAM Director of BGCGW complemented FAMES, saying “FAMES has proven to be a valuable partner in helping the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington bring quality programming to children who need that support.”
Comments from Role Model Speakers
The FAMES role models enjoyed their time at the program and expressed their commitment to STEM education. Professor Mary Bowden, UMD, said “I am excited to see so many girls participating in the FAMES program with sincere interest and asking great questions. These are our future STEM professionals.” Mark C. Cherry, President and COO of Aurora Flight Sciences, commented, “I am devoted to STEM education and technology, and in helping foster our young students who could be future leaders in science and technology. It’s very fulfilling working with FAMES to help our students realize their potential.” And NASA astronaut, Benjamin Alvin Drew, said “Volunteering for STEM is the second best thing about being an astronaut, but a close second to actually flying in space.”
Program Description
Picture 45 6th to 9th grade students sitting inside a classroom on a hot 
summer day during the school summer break. What is the secret to keeping their eyes from drifting to the window and dreaming of swimming pools? The FAMES program, a newly launched summer initiative offered in partnership with the BGCGW, manages to do just that.
FAMES offers an eight week summer program that brings working professionals to weekly sessions at the 
BGCGW summer camp to serve as role models who inspire and engage students promoting STEAM careers. While the overarching connection between all the FAMES speakers is their experience in the aerospace industry, what makes the program unique is the way in which FAMES engages students. Especially in middle school,
students want to be entertained. By enlisting a diverse group of speakers with unique human connections to their fields of study, FAMES is able to relate to students on an emotional level. Speakers involve the students in their presentations – drawing them into the conversation and creating a safe environment for participants to ask questions without being judged. Most importantly, FAMES works with the speakers to allow students to draw their own conclusions about how the information presented personally relates to them. By making STEM relatable and fun, students gain a better understanding of how technology applies to the real world, real people, and their own lives.
One of the most surprising questions asked repeatedly by the students was how much each speaker earned. This preoccupation with financial stability confirmed the importance of the addition of finance to the FAMES curriculum, an element that sets it apart from other STEM programming. FAMES is uniquely tailored to broaden the appeal and relevance of studying technical subjects. Students were curious about what drove the speakers to push through tough times to attain their goals. Is it the money? Is it the excitement? Those are two readily understood drivers for this age group. But each of the speakers made it clear that there was a lot of hard work, determination, and even occasional failure along the way. Curiosity and a sense of pride in accomplishing their goals motivated them to keeping going; money and excitement were only part of the picture.
Featured Summer Speakers – More Comments from the Students
FAMES role models created a winning formula based on STEM principles to engage and inspire studentinterest in STEM education, and to create meaningful a positive impact at a critical juncture in the lives of underserved children. In the opening session, FAMES Director, Dr. Supriya Banerjee, welcomed the students to the program, introduced them to FAMES principals of Space Science, Aerospace Engineering, Arts, and Finance Education, and outlined FAMES summer program. The students were excited with the summer syllabus and to be introduced to the role models they would meet.
The speaker series launched with senior executives from the aerospace industry 
working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, including Dr. Richard B. Isaacman, Mr. Lou Mayo, and Mr. Mike Chapman. Isaacman’s presentation on Astronomy and Mayo’s presentation on the Search for Life in the Universe inspired positive student comments: “[I’d like to] pursue a science career like Dr. Isaacman”, and “I think with him [Mayo] being a scientist and talking about the future makes me want to be an engineer or entrepreneur and doing good for the community.” As a result of 
Chapman’s presentation, students gained a deeper understanding of the formal training required to pursue an aerospace career and that lifelong learning including returning to multiple educational environments was part of that journey. Most importantly, the students appreciated how space missions answer scientific questions that affect our lives at the Earth.
Several role models also introduced the students to Aerospace Engineering by 
sharing their unique career paths and work histories to connect to students on a personal level. Professor Mary Bowden of UMD discussed access to space, research on Robotics at UMD and her ongoing weather balloon experiments that carry a number of student payloads. She visited BGCGW for the second time to help guide the students through their water balloon astronaut hands-on project.
Mr. Mark Cherry, President and COO of Aurora Flight Sciences, explained
various advanced UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) developed by Aurora and how UAVs could be used to deliver goods and supplies which fascinated students. USAF Lt Col Tucker “Cinco” Hamilton demonstrated the gear used for his flights, talked about how various aircraft work, and showed videos of different aircrafts he has flown. The most captivating video documented his life threatening mid-air collision with another aircraft while flying a training mission in his F-15C over the Gulf of Mexico. He inspired the students to make a difference and persevere in the face of difficulty. As a result of presentations by role models Cherry, Hamilton, and Chapman students learned about service academies and several students said they want to join the military and plan to apply to a service academy after graduating from high school. Several students are interested in being a military pilot.
The final speaker of the summer program, NASA astronaut Benjamin 
Alvin Drew, Jr. Colonel (USAF, Ret.) enthralled students with a breathtaking presentation of his journeys to space. Drew was introduced by Mr. Michael McDonald, BGCGW’s Regional Vice President for DC and Maryland. Mr. Jim Almond, BGCGW’s Interim President & CEO also attended. Students were astonished to learn that Drew, who grew up in DC, went to a summer camp just as they did and first thought of becoming an astronaut at the age of five. A gracious and humble man, he spent a long time chatting with the students and posing for pictures with them following his talk. One student summed up Drew’s visit perfectly: “It does not matter where you’re from, you can accomplish anything. He did stop believing a couple of times but he still pushed through. Now he got to shake hands with the President.” Another student wrote: “He also inspired me to actually want to go to college for being an 
astronaut.” “Mr. Drew made science interesting. I might go into a Science and Engineering major. He is my role model. I want to grow up to be just like him. Thanks Mr. Drew.”
At the end of the program FAMES held an essay competition with the subject “Which role model inspired you the most and why?” Award winners (photo) received cash and FAMES certificates. The full details of the 2016 summer program are available at www.famesusa.org/News.