Contact: Paul Henderson (304) 205-7973 henderpm@wvstateu.edu INSTITUTE, W.Va. – West Virginia State University Extension Service has launched a new 4-H club providing students with hands-on learning opportunities using NASA equipment. The 4-H Aerospace and Robotics Club meets monthly, with the mission of increasing youth interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), one of the fastest-growing areas of need in the state’s workforce. The next club meeting will take place Thursday, Jan. 17, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. at WVSU’s Aerospace Education Laboratory (AEL) in Institute. The AEL is a state-of-the-art, electronically enhanced, computerized classroom that puts cutting-edge technology at the fingertips of students. The facility features real aerospace hardware and software, including an advanced flight simulator, a research wind tunnel, a short-wave radio receiver and hand-held global positioning systems for aviation. Club activities focus on robotics and rocketry using a NASA-approved curriculum.
“This club engages students in real-world challenges relative to both aeronautics and space exploration,” says Paul Henderson, 4-H extension agent. “If you have a child interested in science, space, flying planes, rockets, robots, or just building and taking things apart to see how they work, this club is perfect for them.”
The club is free to join and open to students in grades K-12. Volunteer opportunities are available for interested adults.
The Aerospace Education Lab is located at 213 Douglass St. in Institute.