Celebrating a decade of aviation inspiration

The symposium is geared toward educators who do not necessarily have a background in aviation, empowering them to introduce students to the various career possibilities in the field. There’s high demand for aerospace engineers, scientists, aircraft and powerplant mechanics, and pilots, of course. It has also become an important professional development resource. Prominent speakers across the aviation industry shared their expertise and experience for educators to use in their classrooms.

This year’s symposium counted 50 exhibitors, 50 speakers, and 450 registered visitors, two of whom came from as far away as Thailand. Aviation bootcamps on November 17 were standing room only.

Dan Justman, vice president of the AOPA Foundation’s You Can Fly program, welcomed participants and introduced airshow legend Sean D. Tucker, who inspired the audience with valuable insights based on his experience running the Bob Hoover Academy. The event continued with over 30 breakout sessions, including new-to-the-program presentations on “How to Find and Cultivate Financial Support for Your Program: Fundraising and Grants 101,” “Implementing Career and Technical Education Programs of Study: A Regulatory and Practical Guide,” and “Beyond the Classroom: How Do You Convince Your District to Engage in Crewed and Unmanned Flight?” Networking breaks allowed attendees to mingle and get a breather from “information overload,” as one put it.

Purdue receives AWD grant

On November 18, the Purdue University School of Aviation and Transportation Technology announced receipt of a $383,824 FAA Aviation Workforce Development Grant to ”develop, in four select Indiana high schools, an innovative experiential learning pathway program for the next generation of pilots that meets the knowledge requirements of both crewed and uncrewed aircraft (UAS) pilots.” Purdue will work with TakeFlight Interactive, which will provide 20 lessons with 57 scenarios using an artificial intelligence flight instruction platform. “Participating students will uniquely gain real, measurement-proven, transferable flying skills in a high school classroom setting,” the university said in a news release.

Pitsco’s drone infinity kits and rocket drones—scalable science, technology, engineering, and math resources for educators to use in the classroom—were very popular.

On Tuesday, U.S. Air Force 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh, the reigning Miss America, was the keynote speaker at the closing general session and impressed the audience with her motivating story of overcoming several obstacles to reach her career goal. “I’ve learned to embrace the suck,” she said. She is “using her national platform to help dispel stereotypes and empower America’s youth to realize their dreams and true potential through aviation,” according to her bio in the program.

Since its inception in 2017, the AOPA Foundation’s High School Aviation STEM Curriculum has generated enthusiasm in schools and classrooms across the country. It is currently serving students in 570 programs in 48 states. This year alone, 29,600 students are enrolled, and the program has helped more than 97,200 students to date. Of its graduates, 63 percent aspire to a career in aviation, 23 percent are women, and 43 percent are nonwhite.

AOPA Senior Photographer David Tulis said that the overall energy was really good. He overheard one educator remarking that they would have chosen a career in aviation had they had this opportunity in high school.

The next symposium is slated to be held in Indianapolis in 2025.

The You Can Fly program and the Air Safety Institute are funded by charitable donations to the AOPA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. To be a part of the solution, visit www.aopafoundation.org/donate.