STARBASE One children’s program needs your support

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Using a protractor and mathematical equations, students input block code into a Spherobolt robot to navigate a course. This exercise prepares students for the next station in the Mars Room, where they will program a rover to traverse across the surface of Mars. U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY BRUCE J. HUFFMAN

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STARBASE One was established at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in 1991. The Department of Defense adopted the program nationally in 1993. There are now more than 75 STARBASES located at military installations across the country. U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD PHOTO BY BRUCE J. HUFFMAN

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By Bruce J. Huffman

127th Wing Public Affairs

Budget constraints at the Department of Defense may force STARBASE One — the Science, Technology, Engineering, Aviation and Mathematics (STEAM) program — at Selfridge to rely on donations from the community to keep its doors open for hundreds of Michigan students this summer.

STARBASE One at Selfridge is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides an out-of-this-world learning experience for more than 1,800 southeast Michigan fifth graders annually. It is the brainchild of Rick Simms, STARBASE One director, who established the very first STARBASE in the country here in 1991. The DoD adopted the program nationally in 1993. There are now about 80 STARBASES located at military installations across the country.

“We were doing STEAM education here, before anyone even knew what STEAM was,” Simms said. “Unfortunately, budget cuts may force us to close our doors this summer.”

Simms grew up near the base in the 1980s and remembers sitting at the end of the runway on Hall Road with his dad when he was 8 years old watching airplanes. “A C-130 flew in just above our heads for a landing, and I remember thinking how it was the biggest airplane I had ever seen in my life,” Simms said. “His love for all things aviation began at that moment.”

For years, Simms dreamt about becoming a pilot and began building and hanging plastic model airplanes from the ceiling in his bedroom.

He joined the Civil Air Patrol at Selfridge in ninth grade around the time the movie “Top Gun” came out and vividly recalls the special effects in the movie “Star Wars” that fueled his enthusiasm for flying. When poor eyesight kept him from going to the Air Force Academy and becoming a fighter pilot, Simms directed his efforts toward his second love and pursued a career in filmmaking at Wayne State University. His passion for flying and sci-fi movies is evident in the details everywhere you look at STARBASE One.

“I grew up on ‘Star Wars,’ ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘ET,’ so I had a passion for film,” Simms said. “Combining my love for technology and science with the creative aspects of film, I knew a creative blending of the two would give us an opportunity to reach kids in a way that you can’t in a traditional classroom. As soon as they walk through the door, they can get excited about what they’re seeing. You’re actually touching on other senses that may not even be perceived, but the students know they’re someplace different, someplace interesting, and fun.”

According to Jill Brodzik, who handles accounting and procurement at STARBASE, there are interesting items and stories behind every doorway at the center. Students are taught to use 3D printers to make spare parts for the equipment they use to conduct experiments, and each class prints out a small gift for one of their teachers. According to Brodzik, one student even started a 3D printing company after attending classes at STARBASE One. “Students are also taught how to be good people while they’re here and that we are only limited by what we’re able to imagine,” he said.

“In the early days, some of the STARBASE staff trained at Disney,” Brodzik said. “Rick Simms, our director, wanted to bring the same excitement to the learning experience that you might find at an amusement park.”

Inside, you’ll find life-size replicas of the Space Shuttle cockpit and the Destiny Module from the International Space Station. Student groups are immersed in video scenarios and work together to solve problems, utilizing engineering techniques and formulas on iPads to complete a series of interesting challenges.

Students must determine what supplies they’ll need for their mission, what the capacity and payload will be, and what kind of scientist or engineer will be most effective for the mission.

“Each station builds on the skills learned at the previous station and the students don’t even realize they’re using things like algebra and geometry as they input block code into the robots because they’re having so much fun,” Brodzik said.

“We’re not here to teach for mastery; we teach for inspiration,” Simms said. “Through a variety of creative aspects and engaging activities, you can tap into something a little bit different that will inspire the kids. For me, sitting at the end of a runway watching a C-130 inspired me and helped me stay focused. I was not super intelligent. I was inspired. That is our goal at STARBASE One.”

For more information about how you can help inspire a child by supporting STARBASE One, go to its website at starbaseone.org.