SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Sept. 3, 2013 – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) recently invited local students to the company's Sunnyvale facility for Engineering Student Day, which promotes interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.
Northrop Grumman hosted the second annual Engineering Student Day for more than 50 high school students. Students learned about the history of the Marine Systems business unit and toured company labs where missile launch, propulsion and power generation systems for naval submarines and surface ships are manufactured and tested.
Additionally, students split into teams to participate in an interactive Operation Catapult project that showcased the various engineering roles involved in product development—from systems engineering and design to analysis, manufacturing and testing. The goal was to design and build a catapult that would launch a rubber ball as far as possible using materials such as tongue depressors, rubber bands, tape, push pins and paper cups.
"Northrop Grumman is strongly committed to STEM education," said Karen Campbell, vice president of Northrop Grumman's Marine Systems business unit. "This event familiarizes students with the breadth of possibilities that engineering offers, and helps inspire young people to consider engineering as a career."
Student participants came from three local programs: Stanford University's LEAD Computer Science Institute program, which introduces students to computer programming; the Hidden Genius Project, which provides mentoring and career development for African-American males interested in software engineering and technology entrepreneurship; and the Northrop Grumman-sponsored Tech Challenge, an annual design competition that emphasizes hands-on projects to solve engineering challenges.
Nearly 20 Northrop Grumman employee volunteers participated in Engineering Student Day in Sunnyvale. Northrop Grumman regularly sponsors programs that are designed to promote STEM education. For example, the Northrop Grumman Foundation recently marked the fifth year of providing Space Camp scholarships for students and their teachers. The students participate in activities such as building and launching rockets and simulating space travel preparation. Their science teachers attend the Space Academy for Educators, a program designed to provide teachers the tools to enhance how they use STEM concepts in their classrooms.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems, cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and commercial customers worldwide. Please visit www.northropgrumman.com for more information.