STARBASE Louisiana, a Department of Defense (DoD) STEM education program on Barksdale AFB and key Bossier Schools partner, recently received a momentous honor. The staff was selected to receive the 2023 STEM Advocate of the Quarter Award. They were nominated by Dr. Donna Senft, Chief Scientist at Air Force Global Strike Command.

The STEM Advocate of the Quarter Award recognizes a person or organization for outstanding STEM education and outreach efforts that help to inspire the next generation of STEM leaders while furthering the mission of the Department of Defense.

As the winner of this prestigious award, STARBASE Louisiana is being featured on the DoD Innovator Spotlight Series webinar at 11 a.m. August 8. Anyone can register to join the webinar using this link. There will be a presentation by STARBASE Louisiana,  then a Q & A session.

There are 85 DoD STARBASE sites across the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico. There are only six Level III sites, which means that program has significantly contributed to the DoD STARBASE program and mission. STARBASE Louisiana is one such program. 

Fifth grade students in Bossier Parish travel to Barksdale Air Force Base to participate in five days of exciting hands-on STEM missions that support Louisiana student standards. Middle school students can choose to participate in STARBASE 2.0, where they do semester-long or year-long engineering projects. 

STARBASE 3.0 high school students participate in the American Rocketry Challenge (ARC), the world’s largest rocketry competition. Bossier Parish STARBASE 3.0 teams from both Parkway High School and Haughton High School have traveled to Washington D.C. for multiple years to compete as ARC national finalists.