Watch CBS News

U.S. Army Showcases STEM Opportunities In The Military (Video)

By Edward Cardenas

WARREN (CBS Detroit) - The U.S. Army rolled into the parking lot of Warren Mott High School Wednesday with a semi-truck filled with interactive activities to showcase the science, technology, engineering and math opportunities available in the military.

Students from math, science and English classes visited the STEM van to showcase the changing mission of the Army, and how cutting edge technology is used to protect the troops and the nation.

"Often people have the assumption that the military is constant firefights ... in reality we have many military occupational specialty where the soldiers actually learn different things in science, technology, engineering and mathematics," said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jessie Kadrmas, who added that these fields of study can be used within computer jobs or military intelligence jobs.

To showcase these opportunities, the Army created the interactive STEM Experience in a customized semi trailer to demonstrate to a connected generation how technology is utilized by the military with a semi trailer divided into three areas.

The first room is filled with televisions playing news reports about explosions at an Eastern European chemical plant in the midst of threats from a radical political group vowing to undermine world security.

After being apprised about the situation, students entered a second room where they learned about SARAH - a search and rescue autonomous hybrid which is actually in development in Army laboratories - and can be used to stop environmental disaster and save trapped workers.

Students then moved into a third room where they worked as a team using touch screen computers to put SARAH to work to navigate the factory and respond to challenges by using their science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills in a video game-like setting.

"I might go into some computer technology," said Antonio Nona, a Mott junior, who enjoyed the simulator and is considering a STEM-related career.. "I'm kind of interested in that stuff."

The stop in Warren was part a nationwide tour for the STEM Experience, which is on the road for nearly 310 days a year stopping at high schools and colleges. In addition to the hardware on display, recruiters were also on-hand to discuss opportunities with the Army.

For teachers who brought their students to the display, it was a chance to show the real-world applications of their present-day classes.

"It's great to see what we do in the classroom, and the basics that we are teaching there, and how it is really applied in a real world setting," said Carl Taylor, a chemistry teacher at Mott. "(The display) gets them  energized to see there is more than just what we do in the classroom, it's the basics. This is the applied stuff."

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.