More than 1,000 Monterey Peninsula elementary through high school students packed King Auditorium on the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) campus, Dec. 1, kicking-off Discover NPS Day, a rare open-campus event designed to introduce the regional community to the university. Countless STEM activities and demonstrations, open research labs, keynote lectures and topical panel sessions were just a few of the day’s highlights, that all began with a welcome message straight from the commander of the International Space Station.

“Astronauts come from very diverse backgrounds,” said U.S. Marine Corps Col. Randy “Komrade” Bresnik. “We are fighter pilots, engineers, professors, scientists and teachers. Our crew on the ISS represents each one of those professions.

“We do have one thing in common, though,” he continued. “We were all inspired by someone or something in our past that got us here to orbit 250 miles above the surface of the earth. I hope you find something that inspires you, for there is no stronger motivation than inspiration.”

Throughout the day, visiting students and their parent and teacher chaperones had free reign over much of the campus, packing Spanagel Hall for the Department of Physics’ popular demonstrations in the science of sound, electricity, mechanics and many more. Standing-room only crowds descended upon the university’s MOVES Institute, where virtual reality and 3D printing activities were a huge hit. Meanwhile, in the RoboDojo, students flew mini UAVs and learned the basics of coding.

“I liked all of the hands-on experiences, getting to see and do everything has been a lot of fun,” said Monterey Bay Charter School Sixth Grader Riley Reagan.

Even the teachers and chaperones were impressed with the events, and the opportunity NPS offered the regional community.

“I think it’s fantastic what NPS is doing for young kids, being able to learn about all the different sciences,” said Cecilia Barnett, a chaperone with Walter Colton Middle School in Monterey. “The favorite amongst my kids was the sound deprivation chamber. And it’s really exciting for the kids to meet an astronaut … They’re all getting more excited about space”

In Ingersoll Hall, students were given the controls to operate Ant Weight Combat Robots, one of the most popular events for the day. Read More...