Children of active duty military and Department of Defense employees are given the opportunity to participate in a teen science camp, scheduled June 11 to 15, 2012.

This is the first such camp, organized by the Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR), in partnership with Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD). The program will promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

Justin Buschman, Teen and Youth Sports Coordinator, shared that this is the first year that a science week is incorporated into the teen camp: “It’s a new way to give the teens a new perspective on how to apply science.”

Heather Steinzor, NSA-PC MWR Youth Director, shared that the goal of science week is to raise awareness regarding topics related to STEM: “The science week was created around the STEM-related topics to broaden the teen’s knowledge in the area of science, technology, engineering, and math… Navy Child and Youth Programs are always looking for ways to incorporate different learning experiences for the children. We have so many resources onboard NSA-PC and this summer Justin Buschman, our teen and sports coordinator, wanted to incorporate the STEM program. He thought this would be a great opportunity to utilize NSWC PCD’s resources and teach the teens something new.”

Brandon Brown, a NSWC PCD employee and Diversity Council member, will provide teens with STEM outreach topics for four days of the five-day camp, for three hours each day. He said: “I hope to really spark interest in the field of science, and hopefully inspire the kids to possibly pursue a job at NSWC in the future.”