The Iridescent Science and Discovery Center opened its doors to kids in Los Angeles on October 16, according to a feature on the Navy website. In attendance were approximately 600 children and parents, who were able to participate in the featured educational fair, where children were able to experience various hands-on exercises.

Supporting the event were over a dozen volunteers from the Space & Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Aerovironment, Inc., Ocean’s Institute, and the Office of Naval Research (ONR).

The center is operated by Iridescent, and was the recipient of a $2.3 million multi-year grant from the ONR. The center is expected to contribute to developing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills among the young.

Tara Chklovski, founder and chief executive officer of Iridescent, shared: “Our partners, such as ONR, have allowed Iridescent to scale up to meet the needs of a greater number of students and families who can benefit from engaging science content and interaction with such powerful community mentors.”

The involvement of the Navy and ONR in Iridescent is part of an effort to develop a STEM talent pool of engineers and scientists who can contribute to the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the nation.

Lt. Cmdr. Sam Delgado, Navy community outreach officer for the Navy Diversity Directorate, shared: “The Navy gets involved in these types of events because it gives us the chance to engage the community… We [the Navy] have to prepare our own talent through broad base community involvement and educational organizations that make science interesting to our youth.”