by 1st Lt. Martha Nigrelle

CAMP MABRY, Texas – 20 children graduated from the Texas Military Forces (TXMF) STARBASE program here in Austin, Texas, June 28, 2013. The weeklong program for the youth of Camp Mabry employees gave the fifth and sixth graders hands-on learning enrichment in science, technology, engineering, and math.

STARBASE is a program that helps students, between 6 and 18 years of age, improve their math and science skills “through experiential learning, simulations, and experiments in aviation and space-related fields.” 

Students said one of the favorite activities during the week was an egg experiment.  Children had to design a parachute for their egg.  After dropping their egg from a designated location, the eggs were inspected and placed into categories, such as “survivor,” “major surgery” and “dead.” According to the children, only one egg was pronounced dead and only one needed major surgery. 

Another class favorite was said to be “the robot.”  After reporting that the class had programmed the robot to crush the Lincoln Memorial, one student stated, “don’t worry, it was just a model of the Lincoln Memorial, not the real thing!”

Col. Pat Hamilton, The Adjutant General’s Chief of Staff, spoke to the students during the graduation.

“You are the future,” Hamilton said. “You are going to invent things we can’t even imagine.  That’s why it is important to get interested in science and math. Thank you for coming out.  We are really proud of you for everything you have done.”

As each student was presented with a Certificate of Achievement and a STARBASE medal by Maj. Gen. John F. Nichols, The Adjutant General of Texas, it was evident that many of the students felt the same way.