Kids study STEM at Raven Balloon Day
What goes up, must come down.
Brandon Valley Intermediate School students learned that – and a whole lot more – at Raven Aerostar’s fourth annual Balloon Day. The event brings area students in to get excited about STEM careers.
BVIS students were granted an up and close look at the daily happenings inside the walls of Raven Aerostar last month during Balloon Day, which gives students the opportunity to witness stratospheric balloon technology and manufacturing.
Brandon Valley Intermediate School STEM teacher Matt Mueller said Balloon Day is a day he looks forward to every year.
“The Raven Balloon Day is a great experience for all of our kids,” Mueller said. “They look forward to the opportunity to see a balloon launch and leave the day with stories to tell. The discussions that are had on the bus ride home is so great to hear as they talk about all the things they learn that day while going through the stations that are put together. The rotations and information that is given is truly top notch and the kids leave that day knowing more than they did before with regards to not only balloon launches but many fields of engineering as well.
During their visit, students witnessed a stratospheric balloon launch, took part in hands-on learning stations dedicated to exposing them to the importance of STEM in the lighter-than-air industry. Students also explored manufacturing/heat sealing technology, buoyancy of balloons, learned about flight tracking software, viewed a balloon material strength demonstration, and were exposed to flight operations (launch through recovery) and tethered aerostats.
Mike Smith, Raven’s principal aerospace engineer, said he was inspired by his high school physics teacher to pursue a career in engineering.
“I take every opportunity I can to ‘pay it forward’ and promote engineering whenever I can,” Smith said. “I’m so proud to work for a company that shares that vision of inspiring students through activities like this.”
Raven Aerostar vice president and general manager Scott Wickersham said one of the company’s goals is to “inspire students by exposing them to the technology, products and services from Raven Aerostar.”
“Raven Aerostar is the leader in stratospheric technology and we believe in our corporate responsibility to give back to our communities. Balloon Day represents our past, present, and future,” he said.
Raven Aerostar remains committed to STEM education and is dedicated to providing innovative, high-value products and solutions that solve great challenges throughout the world. More than half of the job positions at Raven are STEM-related, including manufacturing technicians, sales engineers, drafters, polymer chemists, computer and information specialists, financial experts, and an assortment of engineers, to name a few. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that the number of STEM-related jobs will continue to increase over the next decade, which is why STEM education is so important to our nation and companies like Raven.
