News

By Ryan Rayno, DEVCOM Public Affairs

U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, or DEVCOM, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Center, or DEVCOM C5ISR Center, organized and held APG STEM Day September 21, 2024, at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.

DEVCOM Chemical Biological Center, or DEVCOM CBC; U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command; U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center; Defense Centers for Public Health – Aberdeen; APG Morale, Welfare, and Recreation; and Discovery Center at Water’s Edge participated alongside the various DEVCOM C5ISR directorates.

“Events like this give us the chance to talk to our students, our college students, and get them excited about science, technology, engineering and math, and making STEM something that everyone is engaged in,” Erica Bertoli, an outreach lead for DEVCOM C5ISR Center, said. “As a whole, APG is part of the Harford County community, so it’s important for us to open the doors when we can and invite our neighbors to see what we’re doing, to peak behind the fence so to speak, and help them become a part of our community as well as help us become a part of theirs.”

“Events like this give us the chance to talk to our students, our college students, and get them excited about science, technology, engineering and math, and making STEM something that everyone is engaged in,” Erica Bertoli, an outreach lead for DEVCOM C5ISR Center, said. “As a whole, APG is part of the Harford County community, so it’s important for us to open the doors when we can and invite our neighbors to see what we’re doing, to peak behind the fence so to speak, and help them become a part of our community as well as help us become a part of theirs.”

The event had over 20 stations to get visitors excited about STEM fields and learn how each organization contributes not just to the technological capabilities of the Department of Defense, but to communities worldwide.

“This is a great way to get our name out there, get known, and show people that the work we do not just at APG, but at DEVCOM CBC, has vocations for the technologies that have uses in medical care, material science, and things that are used by the average consumer every day,” Casey Weininger, a STEM program manager for DEVCOM CBC, said. “It’s an opportunity to show that things we do here have an impact on everyday life.”

The various stations had demonstrations and opportunities for hands-on-experience for all ages across a variety of STEM fields including night vision and thermal imaging, cybersecurity, 3D printing capabilities, and robotics among others.

“I had a lot of fun learning about the different equipment and programs here,” Alannah Belcher, a student at Bel Air High School, said. “My favorite ones were testing the night vision goggles, trying to block hacking attacks and making chemical worms.”

In addition to getting students excited about STEM fields, the event also allowed the organizations to show that career opportunities exist outside of typical pathways.

Ken Johnson, a physicist with DEVCOM C5ISR Center, brought two robot dogs to the event, allowing visitors to practice controlling them while navigating an obstacle, as well as to share the opportunities in a robotics career at DEVCOM C5ISR Center.

“Our goal is to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists to work with the Army,” he said. “When I was in school, everyone wanted to work for NASA and big known companies, but I’m sure if they knew this was an option, they would be jumping at this great opportunity. We want them to know that their talents, hard work, and passion will not only grow and be respected at DEVCOM but will go on to support the strength and longevity of America for centuries to come.”

“Our goal is to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists to work with the Army,” he said. “When I was in school, everyone wanted to work for NASA and big known companies, but I’m sure if they knew this was an option, they would be jumping at this great opportunity. We want them to know that their talents, hard work, and passion will not only grow and be respected at DEVCOM but will go on to support the strength and longevity of America for centuries to come.”

APG STEM Day welcomed approximately 1,000 visitors over the course of the day, but for Bertoli, she would like to see even more next year to further spread the importance of APG and its tenant organizations and to strengthen community relationships.

“My hope is that the visitors go home, tell their friends, and come back next year with five more people,” she said. “I hope that the work being done by our engineers, our Soldiers, our subject matter experts on this installation is shared throughout the community. However, for me, really the biggest win is when people leave here and feel that APG is part of their community.”

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The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, known as DEVCOM, is Army Futures Command’s leader and integrator within a global ecosystem of scientific exploration and technological innovation. DEVCOM expertise spans eight major competency areas to provide integrated research, development, analysis and engineering support to the Army and DOD. From rockets to robots, drones to dozers, and aviation to artillery, DEVCOM innovation is at the core of the combat capabilities American Warfighters need to win on the battlefield of the future. For more information, visit devcom.army.mil.