PSJHS cadets get hands-on feel for STEM careers
The NJROTC Cadets of Port St. Joe High School recently participated in a four-day field trip to central Florida. Designed to challenge the students in topics related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), the trip included stops at the University of Central Florida, Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, SeaWorld, and the U.S. Coast Guard Station Sand Key, in Clearwater.
The cadets, led by Naval Science Instructors Lt. Cmdr. Doane and Cmdr. McKinney traveled by bus to Orlando, where they toured the campus of the University of Central Florida Golden Knights, seeing first-hand what college life is like. While on campus, they marched in formation through the student union area and attended a seminar presented by instructors from UCF’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. The cadets were invited to attend an ongoing college class, in which they answered questions and participated in leadership scenarios.
At the Naval Air Warfare Center, they operated cutting-edge technology simulators which the Department of Defense uses to train sailors and Marines on active aircraft carrier and submarine skill sets. They also participated in a flight simulation demonstration in the “Dome Room” which presents flight students with ultra-realistic environmental settings. These engineering technologies are designed to augment actual flight training through the use of tailored simulation scenarios on the ground, which offers an economical and safe alternative to flying in actual combat or adverse weather.
SeaWorld opened their doors to the cadets for a specialized overnight experience that offered evening opportunities to study marine sciences in the privacy of the empty park. The students were led through several guided exhibits that allowed hands-on interaction with sea life including sharks and rays. They also studied marine life anatomy with replica and actual fish and aquatic mammal bones and were tested on animal identification. They spent the night “camping” in the Shark Habitat on bedrolls and sleeping bags followed by an interactive STEM Day in the park the following day. Through interactive displays and STEM scavenger hunts, they were encouraged to learn the principles of engineering which allow SeaWorld’s many thrilling roller coasters to operate safely, principles which they tested and enjoyed the entire day.
Before returning home, the cadets stopped overnight in Clearwater where they visited the Sand Key Coast Guard Station. There, they studied various survival items, safety devices and crew-served weapons which the guardsmen use every day in the execution of their job. Most notably was the tour of the small boat and larger 33-foot rescue vessel. They even got a brief by the station culinary chef who enjoys a $70,000 signing bonus offered by the Coast Guard’s high-demand signing bonus program.
The 15 attending cadets, bus driver, and two parent chaperones all enjoyed the trip and are very appreciative to the participating units for expanding the students’ understanding of STEM and its career opportunities.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.