U.S. Department of Education Partners with Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to Launch "She Can" STEM Summer Camp

Washington, D.C. – Continuing its efforts to emphasize the value and importance of education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), the U.S. Department of Education has partnered with the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum to launch the "She Can" Summer Camp.

"I'd like to thank the President for donating his salary to the Department, which enabled us to partner with the Smithsonian and double the amount of girls that could be a part of this life-changing experience," said U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. "We know early exposure to the STEM fields helps set students on a strong trajectory. This Camp will encourage girls to seek out future professions in STEM and aviation, and empower them to never stop reaching for the stars."

The Camp is designed for students with an interest in aviation and seeks to empower young women to succeed in STEM disciplines. Throughout the two-week Camp, the students will participate in a number of aviation activities, including hands-on flight instruction on FAA certified simulators, a 30-minute discovery flight with a local flight school, a high-altitude weather balloon launch and indoor skydiving. They will also meet women working in a variety of aviation fields, such as air traffic control, cyber security and commercial aviation.

Open to sixth through eighth grade girls, the museum will offer the free aviation-focused experience to underserved students in D.C., Maryland and Virginia at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Va.

Participants must be from Title 1-eligible schools or be eligible for free or reduced lunch. Interested students must submit an application. The application is available on the museum's website at airandspace.si.edu/shecan.

The Department will invest more than $200 million dollars this year in discretionary grants promoting STEM education with a particular focus on computer science.

Featured

  • University of Kentucky Sees Positive Results from Energy Efficiency Program

    The University of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., recently announced the results of its Energy Program in Facilities Management, put into place eight years ago, according to a news release. Between the fiscal years of 2017 and 2025, the university’s campus grew by 13.6% while the energy use per square foot dropped by 19.2%.

  • Key Considerations for Office-to-Higher-Education Facility Conversions

    Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, office-to-alternative-use conversions have become a recurring subject of urban development discourse. Office utilization rates across major U.S. cities remain below 50%, with vacancy rates exceeding 27% in San Francisco and 16% in New York. Higher education facilities present programmatic and spatial use cases that align readily with the typical characteristics of commercial office buildings.

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • Zurn Releases New Ductile Iron Frame Trench Drain System

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently released the newest addition to its Train Drench portfolio, the Ductile Iron Frame Trench Drain System, according to a news release. The product is designed for heavy-duty applications like airports, military, universities, and more.

Digital Edition