Naval Facilities and Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) hosted a one-day STEM program for local high school teenagers, where the students discovered new engineering concepts, explored problem solving, and learned the basics of engineering design and functionality.

"Today we saw demonstrations on concrete stress testing, ocean pressure testing and water filtration," said Cullen Reeves, a 12th grade student at Moorpark High School. "It was cool to see the testing in person instead of just seeing a presentation."

EXWC's STEM outreach is focused on addressing and supporting the national need for more young people especially female student to pursue careers in STEM fields.

"These students are an incredibly bright, motivated group. They volunteered to attend this camp over the first week of their summer break because they are genuinely interested in learning more about what STEM career paths the Navy offers," said Dr. Darrell Gooden, Industry Liaison for Engineering, Energy, Environment & Utilities, Ventura County Office of Education. "It was also great to show them that STEM careers encompass more than just engineering; the students that are considering biology majors were especially interested in the Oceans presentations today."

EXWC host several STEM programs throughout the year, encouraging young students to push the boundaries of their creativity and desire to make the world a better place.

Kail Macias, Technical Director at EXWC, welcomed the students upon their arrival. When asked what he liked best about his job, he explained, "I am proud to know that the work we do here every day directly supports our men and women in uniform. Not only is our work often the first line of defense, but it is instrumental in winning over the hearts and minds of our allies overseas. We bring much-needed facilities that support the Navy's mission and improve the quality of life for many communities who need it most."

"I really enjoyed the experiment today on water filtration," said Elizabeth Nguyen, 11th grade student at Oxnard High School. "We competed as teams to test different types of filters on storm water and measured which filters produced the best results."

During their time at EXWC, the STEM students were also given a tour of the Concrete lab, Deep Ocean Lab, Water Filtration Lab, Mobile Utilities Support Equipment (MUSE) facility, and desalination facility, to potentially have if they decide to attend after graduating high school.

"I am definitely more interested in pursuing a career in mechanical or electrical engineering," said Marcos Garcia-Razo, a sophomore at Golden Valley Charter School. "I also plan to apply for the SMART Program and summer internships offered here on base."

NAVFAC EXWC is a command of more than 1,100 dedicated federal employees, contractors, and military personnel who provide specialized facilities engineering, technology solutions, and life-cycle management of expeditionary equipment to the Navy, Marine Corps, federal agencies, and other Department of Defense supported commands.

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For more news from Naval Facilities Engineering Command, visit www.navy.mil/.