BRICC STEM Educators Provide Invaluable Mentorship to Local Students

Marcela Rickett instructs students at the BRICC’s 2022 Drone Camp

Once again, AFOSR’s BRICC PIA will be offering a variety of STEM education camps to students in the National Capital Region. The BRICC STEM camps aim to introduce students to science and engineering disciplines, focusing on the importance of basic research. As in years past, this year’s BRICC STEM camps will feature talented STEM educators to help develop the camp curricula and bring their teaching and STEM expertise to mentor and guide students face to face.

Marcela Rickett came to the BRICC PIA last summer as a STEM camp educator. Previously a second-grade teacher in Prince William County, Ms. Rickett was drawn to the BRICC STEM camps by the opportunity to teach upper grades, and the chance to use her skills in curriculum development, training she received thanks to her master’s degree from George Mason University.

Ms. Rickett enjoyed her experience with the BRICC STEM camps so much that after returning to her teaching position for a year, she took a position at the BRICC PIA this year as an Education Coordinator.

“During my teaching career, I was active in after-school tutoring for math, reading, and STEM clubs,” Ms. Rickett said. “So, my new position with VT-ARC was a perfect fit. The position also allows me to be more involved with organizing training and education courses.”

Imani Fennell, the BRICC PIA’s Lead STEM Project Coordinator, was also a teacher prior to joining the BRICC PIA team. Ms. Fennell was both a math and middle school science teacher for DC Public Charter Schools. She says the summer STEM educators help the BRICC PIA tailor their instruction to needs of individual students, which keeps them engaged, and enables them to connect the instruction they’ve already received during the school year to the specific camp subject during the summer.

“Our educators are invaluable to the BRICC STEM camps,” Ms. Fennell said. “Most importantly, they allow us to broaden our impact to a much larger community than classroom teaching alone. They provide students, particularly those from Title I schools, with resources and exposure to STEM education they might not get otherwise.”

Ms. Fennell highlighted a situation from one of last year’s camps where the importance of the STEM educators became evident.

Three students who came from the same home, two brothers and a sister, attended one of the camps together. They were excited about the camp and learned quickly, but the sister struggled in certain aspects of the lessons. As a result, she initially deferred to her brothers, letting them do portions of her work. However, one of the educators mentored and encouraged her to achieve on her own, providing increased agency and confidence, an opportunity that girls pursuing STEM are often not given. The student eventually accomplished much, all without her brothers’ help.

This summer, the BRICC PIA is hosting five camps: The Drone Camp, for grades 5-6, is a hands-on,  technical application camp where students will learn the basics of coding and programming drones, fly drones, and hear from Air Force subject matter experts. The Robotics camp, for grades 7-8, will engage students in technical learning and solving real-world problems. StellarXplorers, for grades 9-12, is a space system design camp where students focus on team problem-solving associated with sending objects to space, determining payload, and satellite coverage. The LEGACY Craftsman Camp, for ages 11 to 15, builds an interest in STEM through hands-on demonstrations while building knowledge and reinforcing self-confidence and leadership. Lastly, the Summer Engineering Scholars Cadet Academy helps students explore STEM related post-graduation options, including workplace development, military, and higher education.

Through the BRICC PIA STEM program, the Air Force is keeping up with the latest education data recognizing the need to provide students with more robust learning opportunities prior to high school.