“Summer is the time the program has given us to step outside our normal curriculum and experiment to try out new areas of STEM and develop new lessons we can then possibly submit to our national program for youth and other Starbase programs across the nation. Our Starbase staff were really excited about developing this new program and we hope to continue the curriculum into future summer camps and possibly the normal academic year.”-Courtney Taylor, Idaho Starbase director

During the months of June and July, 2022, fewer than 2-hundred 5th grade students in Idaho took part in an Idaho National Guard STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) Summer Camp program, called Starbase (STARBASE A Department of Defense Youth Program).  It is not the first time, but this year demand for such a program was high enough that the normal one camp was expanded into eight separate camps, and three new unique/specialized programs were tried-out.

The Starbase camp is for children of members of the Idaho state militia.  Military based STEM camps began in 2018, under the federal Department of Education’s (DoE) Title 1, however, according to the Idaho National Guard the federal Department of Defense (DoD) is actually providing the funding for the state militia operated STEM camps and after-school programs.

Children of migrant workers learn how to use computers to do facial reconstruction, on Idaho National Guard’s Gowen Field. Idaho Army National Guard photo by Crystal Farris, 15JUL2022.

Military based STEM camps are also for children of migrant farm workers, under the federal DoE’s Migrant Education Program.  It appears that the DoD’s Starbase STEM camps are exclusively for children of National Guard personnel, and children of migrant workers!

Idaho Army National Guard photo by Crystal Farris, 28JUN2022.

For June 2022, Idaho’s Starbase introduced three new categories for its Summer camp; identifying weapons of mass destruction (WMD) under the guise of CSI (Crime Scene Investigation), Space-Force training under the guise of Mission to Mars, and survival training under the guise of search and rescue. Students were part of other programs such as the Caldwell Migrant Summer School Program,  the Idaho Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, the Learning Garden Children’s Center in Meridian, and four different regions of the YMCA (Christian organization founded in the United Kingdom, based in Switzerland).

Idaho Army National Guard photo by Crystal Farris, 08JUL2022.

For July 2022, Starbase Idaho wrapped-up the season by introducing 3rd through 6th grade students to Idaho Army National Guard armored vehicles.

For years, the hi-tech industry in Idaho has worked with the military to educate grade school aged children in the ways of STEM.  Boise based computer chip maker Micron has its own STEM bus which makes visits to military bases. (just a week ago, Micron warned of continuing chip shortages, but this time due to crashing demand caused by inflation)

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