Lockheed Martin CTO Ray O. Johnson sat down with the Coalition for Space Exploration to talk about his firm’s efforts to support science, technology, engineering and math (STEM fields) in schools.
“As a global security corporation that relies heavily on these fields, we consider this nothing short of a crisis, ” said Johnson. “In the words of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, these fields are essential to our nation’s prosperity, security, health and quality of life. We share that concern, and we are committed to promoting STEM education both for our corporation’s interest and the interests of the nation.”
Lockheed Martin is a sponsor of National Engineers Week, an annual effort to recognize the contributions of the engineering profession and cultivate interest in the field among students of diverse backgrounds.
“We also have a program called Engineers in the Classroom. It’s a partnership with the K through 12th-grade schools that are located near our facilities, ” said Johnson. “We send practicing engineers into the classrooms to work with the teachers and supplement the curriculum with hands-on activities that are fun for the kids.”
According to Johnson students seem quite interested in the field of robotics.
“Having a robot they are working on walk across the floor is a thrill that can instill a spirit in them and a desire to move into a field where they can experience more of the satisfaction of problem solving, ” said Johnson.
Johnson also feels that aerospace is a field that many students would be interested in studying.
“The nice thing about the world we work in – aerospace and defense – is that we get to solve not only challenging problems, but problems that help make the world a safer place, ” said Johnson. “We are working on some of the most advanced technology systems in the world, including space, airplanes and all the national security technologies. Space is an exciting field to people all over the world. The exploration aspect of it still grabs people. They are excited about it. They want to work in it.”
