National Capital Area Council Unveils the New STEM Van
Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 03, 2013 -- National Capital Area Council (NCAC), Boy Scouts of America (BSA), in collaboration with local business leaders, unveiled today their new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) van. The STEM van is a mobile classroom that will deliver scientific and mathematical educational programs to schools and young people throughout the Washington, DC, metropolitan region.
STEM education has become a major priority at all levels of the American educational system. “The Boy Scout’s program has always had a strong STEM component,” says Les Baron, NCAC’s Scout Executive and CEO, “By showing Scouts that even their favorite activities like archery and video games are based on math and science, Scouting helps encourage young people’s natural curiosity and sense of wonder.”
The STEM van was made possible through the support of local business leaders, including General Dynamics, Lincoln Electric, the BSA National Foundation and Meg and Norm Augustine. According to Hugh Redd, NCAC president and chief financial officer of General Dynamics, “STEM education is a top priority for our company and the aerospace and defense industry alike. The employees we will be looking for tomorrow need a strong foundation in these subjects today. This is an investment in our future.”
The STEM van is a full-sized cargo van equipped with a portable audio-video system and generator. When fully stocked, it will contain supplies to run programs covering everything from physics and biology to robotics and programming for youth ages six to eighteen. “We’re out there working with these schools every day,” said Baron,” “and this is something we hear them asking for. The teachers want to offer these opportunities but don’t always have the resources they require. The STEM van will allow us pull up to a school or community event and deliver a fully formed “program in a box” that engages young people and shows them science can be exciting and fun.”
About Boy Scouts of America & National Capital Area Council
Boy Scouts of America provides the nation’s foremost youth program of character development and values-based leadership training, which helps young people be Prepared. For Life.™ The Scouting organization is composed of 2.6 million youth members between the ages of 7 and 21 and more than a million volunteers in local councils throughout the United States and its territories. For more, please visit http://www.scouting.org.
National Capital Area Council was organized in 1911 and today stands as one of the oldest and largest councils in America. The Council territory includes the District of Columbia; Frederick, Montgomery, Prince George’s, Calvert, Charles, and St. Mary’s counties in Maryland; and in Virginia the counties of Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Fauquier, Spotsylvania, Caroline, King George, Stafford and Culpeper as well as the independent cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax, Manassas, Manassas Park and Fredericksburg. For more information, please visit http://www.BoyScouts-NCAC.org.
Jeff Agnew, Blakey & Agnew LLC, +1 (703) 203-8720, [email protected]
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