Mission

The goals of the STEM Outreach Programs at USNA are to:

• Address an urgent Navy and national need for more young people to pursue careers in science and engineering
• Act as a focal point in recruiting USNA STEM majors by introducing the fourth class to the rewarding aspects of science and engineering, and to encourage retention of STEM majors by engaging them in educational outreach.
• Provide outreach to local and national communities to influence students and teachers in engineering and science studies, and to facilitate the recruitment of USNA candidates with an affinity towards STEM majors.

STEM Response to the Naval Academy Mission and Strategic Plan 2020

The USNA Mission is to develop midshipmen morally, mentally, and physically and to imbue them with the highest ideals of duty, honor, and loyalty in order to graduate leaders who are dedicate to a career of naval service and have potential for future development in mind and character, to assume assume the highest responsibilities of command, citizenship, and government.

The STEM Program at USNA prepares midshipmen participants for various intellectual challenges by creating opportunities for midshipmen to learn STEM theory and application, as well as reinforcing the lessons they have learned in the classroom. The STEM Program uniquely offers midshipmen a chance to not only participate in, but lead in the classroom. Involvement in STEM includes learning how to set up and execute an experiment, fielding challenging questions, and developing an understanding of the underlying theory. These experiences strengthen creative problem solving skills and the ability to respond to a situation that was not anticipated.

2020 VISION: To be the nation's premier institution for developing future naval leaders from diverse backgrounds to serve in an increasingly interdependent and dynamic world.

The STEM Program derives its curriculum from the current classroom and the cutting edge of new research, prepares midshipmen to interface with multiple technologies, and exposes midshipmen to the reality of the interdependence of the sciences, engineering, technologies, and mathematics.

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