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SystemsGo Is Getting Texas High School Students ‘Fired Up’ About STEM

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High school students all over Texas, New Mexico, and parts of Oregon have a rare opportunity to participate in a unique STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) program. The SystemsGo program is a four year, sequenced rocketing and aerospace curriculum that is currently offered in many local high schools. The program gives students a hands-on approach to STEM education in a way that basic classroom instruction cannot.

Founded at Fredericksburg High School

SystemsGo

Photo: Facebook/SystemsGoEducation

Started in 1996 by Fredericksburg High School teacher, Brett Williams, the SystemsGo program is a project-based learning system that teaches students more than just STEM skills. It also instills in its students incomparable leadership and problem-solving skills.

In the program, the students design (from the ground up) remotely operated vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles. In the more advanced courses, students develop sounding rockets (which, according to NASA, are rockets which are designed for taking measurements and for the performance of scientific experiments while in sub-orbital flight), and collaborate with universities. The program also allows the students to launch their vehicles at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

STEM Occupations On The Rise

STEM

Photo: Facebook/SystemsGoEducation

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, STEM occupations are growing at a rate of 17% (in contrast to 9.8% for other fields). Research has shown that STEM education (like SystemsGo) is instrumental in creating critical thinkers and bridges the ethnic and gender gaps that are often found in the fields of math and science. SystemsGo works with young high school-aged men and women to further their STEM skills and set them up for successful careers in a STEM-related field.

In a 2017 study by the Department of Commerce, it was found that, “women with STEM jobs earned 35 percent more than comparable women in non-STEM jobs – even higher than the 30 percent STEM premium for men. As a result, the gender wage gap is smaller in STEM jobs than in non-STEM jobs. Women with STEM jobs also earned 40 percent more than men with non-STEM jobs.”

Next Stop: Space Exploration

Space Exploration

Photo: Facebook/SystemsGoEducation

SystemsGo now has non-profit status and a lofty long-range goal. The program hopes to encourage students to (quite literally) shoot for the stars and pursue further research and development in space exploration. High school students are given the tools that they need to succeed in STEM programs and experience working with such global entities as Boeing and NASA. The students who complete the SystemsGo program are destined for successful college careers and hold the potential to change the face of the world.

To learn more about the SystemsGo program, visit their website or follow them on Facebook.