April 24, 2014 -- On Wednesday, April 23, 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard brought high school students from Woodrow Wilson High School, Alliance Christian Academy, and home schools to its Portsmouth (Virginia) Base. The goal was to show them how STEM courses can help them later in life.

Opening remarks were provided by Portsmouth Mayor Ken Wright, Rear Admiral Thomas Jones, Director of Operational Logistics, and Captain Joel Dolbeck Commanding Officer, Base Portsmouth, and Commander Holly Harrison, USCG Cutter Northland.

A panel discussion then followed and provided an opportunity for the students to pose questions to the panelists about their educational and career backgrounds.

The STEM Exposition provided the students with an opportunity to learn about the U.S. Coast Guard and other organizations. Approximately 100 students attended the event. Besides the informational booths, the USCG arranged for the students to view up-close a HH-65 Medevac-Search and Rescue (SAR) Dolphin helicopter and tour the Coast Guard Cutter Northland, that was docked nearby.

Frank Csulak, NOAA Scientific Support Coordinator, manned a booth displaying materials from NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration. In addition to having several displays and providing fact sheets to the students, Csulak described NOAA's role in responding to oil and chemical spills and natural disasters such as hurricanes. As part of his presentation, Csulak demonstrated several different spill trajectories.

"When the Coast Guard gets notified of a spill, they reach out to NOAA to provide scientific support. NOAA provides the Coast Guard with fate and effects of the spill, information on the product that was spilled, how it is expected to behave in the environment, where the oil may go, and a description of resources at risk. We are on 24/7 standby to support the USCG whenever the need arises," Csulak said.

In addition to the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration, NOAA's National Weather Service and Old Dominion University participated in the event.

"I came out here because I’d like to be an engineer at some point and I thought—what better way to find out about engineering than from the U.S. Coast Guard?" said Zachary Smith, a sophomore who plans to go into mechanical or biomedical engineering.

The Coast Guard would like to see more kids like him.

"The country in general has a need for STEM-educated children and students coming in," CAPT. Joel Dolbeck, said. "So if the Coast Guard can benefit, that's great, but really it's our nation that benefits from this program."

"I find if they get very interested in seeing a Coast Guard helicopter and the engineering behind it, that may lead them to enroll in a course in high school or maybe look to go to college or maybe go to the Coast Guard or Coast Guard Academy to follow that passion," Dolbeck said.

For further information, contact Frank.Csulak@noaa.gov.

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