News Article Release

Naval Academy STEM Program Hosts Einstein Fellows

May 17, 2012

By MC3 Danian Douglas

The U.S. Naval Academy hosted 15 Einstein Fellow science educators May 15 for a tour of science laboratories, an overview of the school’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-driven curriculum, and a discussion on the necessity for technically proficient leaders.

The Einstein Fellows is a national program named after Albert Einstein that brings together top K-12 science teachers from across the country to spend a year working in the office of a U.S. congressman on a House committee and at agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA, the National Science Foundation and the Energy Department.

“Our future economic stature in the world demands that our ‘pipeline’ of future scientists, engineers and technicians is adequate in terms of both quality and quantity,” said Dr. David Smith, associate professor in the Oceanography Department. “The U.S. Naval Academy meets both those needs, which is why we use every opportunity to showcase this to STEM leaders.”

Participants in the program return to their respective schools with a broader knowledge of STEM opportunities available and the policies of science-based institutions. By immersing themselves in institutions that fund billions of dollars worth of STEM initiatives, the fellows acquire a big-picture perspective of available resources so they can guide their students in choosing careers in the sciences, said Smith, who has been hosting the academy tour for Einstein Fellows for three years.

Smith said that the academy’s STEM programs ensure that both students and teachers use STEM first-hand on a daily basis. The fellows experienced this as they toured the high-tech physics, chemistry and oceanography labs, learned about the academy’s admissions process, and went underway on a Yard Patrol craft for a tour of the school’s sophisticated floating oceanography lab.

“We have a faculty that is dedicated to STEM, and USNA offers significant STEM outreach programs such as summer STEM camp, the Maury project and several robotic competitions,” said Smith. “Groups such as the Einstein Fellows are able to observe this and relate it back to their students.”