Our Aerospace Education/STEM Programs
AFA believes in the power that students hold in securing our nation’s future. Yet, only 16 percent of American high school seniors are interested in careers in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM). To equip our students with the knowledge and skills required for future innovation, we must increase the number of students and teachers in STEM fields.
AFA is part of the nationwide initiative to improve STEM learning—including aerospace education—to better prepare students for the competitive global economy and increase their chances of becoming future leaders who solve our nation’s toughest challenges.
We support aerospace education and STEM through awards, grants, scholarships, professional development opportunities, and programs.
CYBERPATRIOT
CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program created by the Air Force Association (AFA) to inspire K-12 students toward careers in cybersecurity or other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future.
Programs Include:
The National Youth Cyber Defense Competition
AFA CyberCamps
Elementary School Cyber Education Initiative
Cyber Education Literature Series
CyberGenerations
STELLARXPLORERS
StellarXplorers inspires and attracts high school students to pursue studies and careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through a challenging, space system design competition involving all aspects of system development and operation with a spacecraft/payload focus.
This is an exciting hands-on learning experience that develops commercially valuable skills and increases appreciation for the critical role of space in our daily lives. The competition attracts all types of students with diverse backgrounds who will establish their own experiential base off accomplishment, all while building teamwork and leadership skills. Most of all … it is FUN!!!