Submitted by Mitre Corporation of Bedford
Stomp rockets, flying robots, and colorful thermal imaging cameras were among the many thrills at The MITRE Corporation’s 15th annual “Take Our Children to Work Day” celebrated on April 24. Hundreds of youngsters descended on MITRE’s McLean, VA and Bedford, MA locations, taking a crack at science projects and interacting with technical experts. This year’s theme was “Plant a seed. Grow a future,” and coincided with the national “Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day.” More than 300 children in McLean and over 200 in Bedford participated in demonstrations, workshops, and hands-on activities designed to promote a motivating educational experience.
In Bedford, Linda Speake from MITRE’s Office of Global Security began the day by asking children what they wanted to be when they grew up. While answers ranged from nurse and teacher to architect and archaeologist, one youngster earned a round of applause when he stood up and said firmly, “I want to be a MITRE employee!”;
Speake advised the children, “As you walk around MITRE today, think about what interests you, and don’t be afraid to ask what kind of training you will need to become an expert in your chosen field.”;
Older children spent the day engaged in hands-on demonstrations with computer-based mapping, piloting at the helm of flight simulators, building electric motors, experimenting with wireless communications systems, and constructing geodesic domes out of cardboard tubes. The youngest group of children rolled up their sleeves and got to work using screwdrivers to take apart computers and lift out key components, such as motherboards and memory drives. In Bedford’s Lab building, a thermal imaging camera was used to measure the heat energy coming off another group of excited youngsters. While the kids danced around in front of a screen, reveling in wavy, colorful projections of themselves, they learned how such a camera is used for the purposes of firefighting and law enforcement.
In addition to children and grandchildren of employees, for the first time, students from two local charter schools participated as part of MITRE’s efforts to excite local students about careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)—the Innovation Academy Charter School in Tyngsborough, Mass., and Birches Academy of Academics and Art in Salem, NH. Students from Notre Dame Cristo Rey High School in Lawrence, Mass. also participated, as part of MITRE’s long-term partnership with the school.
About The MITRE Corporation
The MITRE Corporation is a not-for-profit organization that operates research and development centers sponsored by the federal government. Our centers support our sponsors with scientific research and analysis, development and acquisition, and systems engineering and integration. We also have an independent research program that explores new and expanded uses of technologies to meet our sponsors’ needs. Our principal locations are in Bedford, Mass., and McLean, Va. Learn more about MITRE at https://www.mitre.org/
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