In July 2011 and 2012, the National Defense Education Program (NDEP) and four Hampton Roads Naval Commands, in collaboration with William & Mary’ STEM Education Alliance sponsored the Hampton Roads STEM Summer Academy. In 2011, the event was held at Corporate Landing Middle school in Virginia Beach. In 2012, the event was held at Norview High School in Norfolk. The event was a collaborative effort among four school divisions: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth, and four Hampton Roads Naval Commands: the Combat Direction Systems Activity-Dam Neck, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division Detachment Norfolk, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command- Systems Center Atlantic, and the Norfolk Naval Ship Yard. The academy invited middle school students from the Hampton Roads area to engage in an action packed camp experience infusing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The Hampton Roads STEM Summer Academy is designed to develop team work, problem solving skills in math and science, and to increase career awareness in STEM related fields. Each student team was partnered with a teacher and a scientist or engineer from one of the naval commands. Together they competed in the Tower Build Challenge, Water Rocket Challenge, Buoyancy Challenge and numerous Robotics Challenges.
