AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2019 - 35

sparked aviation interest in students who
previously bemoaned his class. He said
students that couldn't wait to get out of
school at the beginning of the term have
asked him about flying lessons and airport job possibilities.

SPACEX CEO Gwynne

Shotwell (at right) poses
for photos after presenting a keynote address
during the AOPA High
School Aviation STEM
Symposium.

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION

DAVID TULIS

"We've got to find out what kids are
interested in, what they are good at, and
match things up," said Chris Duzenbery,
the director of college and career readiness for Decatur Township, near Indianapolis.
AOPA President Mark Baker said the symposium was focused on
energizing educators so they could help develop aviation interests in
the next generation. He added that he was "excited about the next
20 to 25 years of aviation and aerospace careers" for young people.
During welcoming remarks, Cindy Hasselbring, the senior director of the AOPA High School Initiative, complimented field test
teachers for their role as "the VIPs" for the next generation of aviators. "These teachers are the pioneers, and we are grateful for their
efforts and support."
Eighty schools are already using the ninth-grade curriculum and
25 more are field-testing the tenth-grade curriculum introduced for
the 2018-2019 school year.
Participant Stephen Kelley, a private pilot and a teacher at
Massachusetts' Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical High
School, complimented the AOPA You Can Fly program for bringing
together the educational experience. He said there wasn't anything
else to compare to the conference. He rubbed shoulders with fellow
teachers, delivered a breakout session, and tried his hand at piloting
a UPS Boeing 757 full-motion simulator at the shipping giant's pilot
training facility.
Educators also got a look inside UPS Airlines' 24-hour maintenance facilities and at the UPS Worldport Hub that sorts 416,000
packages per hour with more than 300 daily flights, 125 ramp positions, and 155 miles of conveyors. "It's pretty special for these
educators," said Hasselbring. "The UPS pilots participating in the
tours are AOPA members and they are so excited for us to be there."
FAA National Aviation and Space Education Program Manager
James Brough facilitated a panel discussion about careers and said
there are jobs on the horizon that have yet to be imagined. "Think
about commercial space transportation" with non-NASA pilots "going
into space and returning to land at a local facility." He said there was
likely "a well-paying career path through aviation" into "virtually anything that a child is interested in."
The 2019 AOPA High School Aviation STEM Symposium will be
November 11 and 12 at United Airlines' flight training center in Denver.
EMAIL david.tulis@aopa.org

Encouraging diversity
in aviation

Several panelists during the AOPA High
School Aviation STEM Symposium said
that the aviation industry could be
more inclusive among gender, race, and
ethnicity.
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Kenyatta Ruffin
said, "Pilots are 90 percent white and 90
percent male. From an African-American
perspective, we are at two percent." He
questioned if diversity is "ethnic, gender,
and race based, or is it diversity of
thought?"
Atlanta FAA air traffic controller Dawn
Johnson said the number of women
entering the ATC sector has remained
largely stagnant since she entered the
profession, but said she is hopeful that
associations such as Women in Aviation
International could open the door.
Hasselbring said 25 percent of the
students in the AOPA High School Aviation STEM curriculum "are girls, and that
is priceless to us."
During his keynote address, UPS Global Public Policy Director and Capt. Houston Mills pointed out that students who
are interested in STEM learning would
be well-suited for whatever the future of
technology brings. "Aviation is the connective tissue of the world's economy,"
he said, complimenting AOPA for "leading the charge" to steer students toward
professional aviation pathways.
Mills said he was excited to see educators helping shape the future. He alerted
them to be vigilant for "aha moments"
that can ignite a student's curiosity and
thirst for knowledge. "You never know
when that moment is going to come," he
said.
-DT

www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 35

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AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - January 2019

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