Children try their aviation skills at STARBASE located at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.

Peach State STARBASE Links with Fernbank / Lockheed 

The Georgia National Guard’s Peach State STARBASE program has just completed a summer of aerospace educational programs with two of Atlanta’s aerospace learning and production giants. 

Lockheed Martin and Fernbank Science Center called upon Peach State STARBASE to provide sophisticated learning laboratories, classrooms and instructors for two different summer aerospace camps during June and July.

During June and July, Lockheed Martin ran its highly successful summer aviation camp. Building upon a long-established relationship with the Dobbins-based STARBASE program, Lockheed sent more than sixty children to two weeklong programs to participate in an exciting curriculum of aviation and aerospace learning.  Along with discussions, practical tests and hands-on experiments involving the science of flight and aviation, the kids enjoyed flying the STARBASE flight simulators.

Atlanta’s Fernbank Science Center also called upon the resources of Peach State STARBASE this summer to be a component of its summer aviation and aerospace camp. Advanced aviation students from Fernbank spent two sessions at STARBASE focusing on team building exercises and problem solving as well as navigation training and instrument reading. STARBASE and Fernbank instructors teamed to provide children with a wide range of learning opportunities and practical exercises mixing learning and fun.

Debbie Huffman, Fernbank aerospace instructor and also one of 190 teachers certified by NASA to teach aerospace curriculum says of the STARBASE/Fernbank relationship, “This is a wonderful program filled with both practical knowledge and a generous amount of fun and excitement.  With the resources of STARBASE, we’re able to pull from our standard (aerospace) curriculum and tailored learning to specific age groups and interests… and, let’s face it, there’s nothing like having kids be on an active military base.

“We are very pleased with the success of these two youth aerospace programs,” said Peach State STARBASE director Bill Wells.  “We are looking forward to building upon these important relationships and providing even greater opportunities for learning and fun.”

The National Guard’s STARBASE (Science & Technology Academics Reinforcing Basic Aviation &Space Education) program is a program for youth aimed at improving math and science skills and preparing children an early age for careers in engineering and other science-related fields of study. The program also addresses drug use prevention, health, self-esteem, and life skills within a math and science-based program. Georgia’s Peach State STARBASE program began in 2002.