Tinker hosts dozens of STEM educators

Published Aug. 7, 2015
By John Parker
Staff Writer

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Oklahoma teachers play a vital role in Tinker Air Force Base's future by inspiring students to pursue careers involving the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and math, a top Air Force Sustainment Center leader said last week.
Col. Charles Gaona, deputy director of the AFSC's Engineering and Technical Management Directorate, addressed middle-school STEM educators attending a Tinker information day sponsored by the Oklahoma Education and Industry Partnership.

More than 85 teachers from across the state participated.

Tinker employs more than 1,000 engineers and scientists, most of whom are civilians, Colonel Gaona told the teachers at a Tinker Club luncheon. They're joined by roughly 500 engineering technicians who don't necessarily need four-year degrees, but must use technical and scientific knowledge to troubleshoot breakdowns, conduct highly technical repairs and perform other key jobs.

About 100 Tinker jobs in STEM fields are currently vacant, while nationally the number of STEM-career graduates from U.S. universities is expected to fall short by 1 million people by 2018, according to one estimate, the colonel said.

Colonel Gaona encouraged the educators to take advantage of and call upon Tinker and Oklahoma's aerospace industry to help them inspire young scholars. Teachers have a unique resource "in their own backyard," he said.

"When you're seeing ... that black, sleek B-1 bomber circling and you hear the roar and you feel the rumble in your chest, you can tell your kids that, hey, you know what? There are 1,500 scientists, engineers and technicians out there making that happen and you can be a part of it," the colonel said.

The partnership's chairman, retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Ben T. Robinson, spoke after the colonel and put it another way: "Tell them you've got friends in high places, and they just flew over."

Harrah Middle School teacher Barbara Bloyed said she plans to emphasize flight and space in her Project Lead the Way teaching units. Project Lead the Way is a nonprofit national STEM teaching program.

"This is going to give me ways of putting into our program some things they can relate to and hopefully encourage more of them to get interested in science, technology, engineering and math," Ms. Bloyed said.

Lisa Pitts, a fifth-grade teacher at Jones Elementary in Jones, said it was interesting to learn about the technical training required for Airmen.

"The service men and women are trained for a specific job," Ms. Pitts said. "Communication, collaboration and problem-solving are vital for the safety of all. I want my students to understand how important these skills are when working in their teams."

Pam Garner, an educator at Darlington Public Schools north of El Reno, said she was impressed by Team Tinker members who participated and discussed their jobs. She plans to share what she learned about Tinker's jobs and their qualifications with students.

"It also reiterated the fact that the ability to communicate with others is the No. 1 qualification needed across the board in all the jobs at Tinker," Ms. Garner said. "OK, getting to go aboard an AWACS was pretty impressive, too. I'm thankful I was allowed to have this incredible experience at Tinker."

This is the eighth year for the annual Oklahoma Education and Industry Partnership event. Expanded for the first time to three days, state STEM teachers traveled to meet leaders in government, private industry and nonprofits. Speakers included Gov. Mary Fallin and state Education Superintendent Joy Hofmeister.

Besides meeting with officials from the Federal Aviation Administration's Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center, the teachers were exposed to STEM-reliant Oklahoma industries in agriculture, bioscience and energy.

The partnership's goal is to provide "relevance and rigor to STEM education, training and workforce development" statewide.