Mitsubishi Aircraft Hosts STEM Event for High-schoolers

How do you inspire high-school students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem)? That’s the question Mitsubishi Aircraft America is trying to answer. On May 16, the company held the Reach for the Stars with Stem program for 550 Moses Lake High School ninth graders in Washington State. The one-day event, held with Big Bend Community College, featured students meeting with individuals in the aviation community, hearing from speakers such as astronaut Wendy Lawrence and contemplating the possibility of pursuing a career in the Stem field.

“This Stem event was a way for Mitsubishi Aircraft America to give back and benefit the community,” Hitoshi “Hank” Iwasa, head of Mitsubishi’s flight-test center, told AIN. “Since being in Washington State, we’ve seen how important Stem education is and we want to continue to promote it throughout the region.”

To start the day, the students visited the Port of Moses Lake at Grant County International Airport, home of Mitsubishi's flight-test center. It is also where the first MRJ flight-test aircraft landed in the U.S.. While the company had a few aircraft, such as the regional jet, on display, the weather restricted all of the students from touring the aircraft. However, some were able to tour the aircraft and speak with pilots and other members of the regional jet program.

Successes in Stem

Speakers such as astronaut Wendy Lawrence and the NTSB's Dennis Hogenson shared their Stem experiences with the students later in the day. Video messages from Sen. Patty Murray (D), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D) and Governor Jay Inslee (D) also played at the event. All of the speakers have some connection to Washington State and Stem.

The Reach for the Stars with Stem event also made sure that women and minorities were represented with participants such as Reina Endo, manager of Mitsubishi’s Moses Lake flight-test center. She originally moved to Washington at the age of seven because of her father’s business. She did not speak English and did not have the luxury of the Internet to teach herself the language. However, Endo attended school in Snohomish County, where Boeing had donated some computers. Over time, computers became a basic language for her to communicate with other students.

“In Japan, mathematics and science are really advanced, so I was able to teach my friends because I was more advanced even though I didn’t speak the language,” Endo told AIN. “It really helped me to gain confidence as well as connect with other students and make friends. For me, that’s how the Stem area helped me advance personally and academically. That led me to think that for a company like Mitsubishi it would really be meaningful for the local students if they were able to access Stem through seeing airplanes and talking to the pilots and others in the aviation industry.”

After the sessions, students were able to visit college booths hosted by representatives from Central Washington University, Washington State University, WSU Tri-Cities and Big Bend Community College and learn more about their Stem programs. They were also able to speak to the representatives about opportunities for pursuing higher education in general.

Target Audience

Representatives from Mitsubishi Aircraft America worked with the Moses Lake school district and state educators to determine that the group of students to benefit from this program the most was ninth graders. The beginning of high school is an important time for making friends and discovering individuality, but it is also an important time for exploring paths for higher education and careers.

“I think it’s really cool that you as ninth graders have a chance to start your careers right now,” Governor Inslee said in a video message at the event. “You might be building autonomous vehicles that can drive themselves. You’ll be driving new carbon-fiber jets with whole new electrical systems. You can be the next governor or president and understand the science of climate change. The world is your oyster and good luck in your careers.”

At the end of the day was a reception where 40 attendees from the local, state and federal levels discussed Stem-related issues affecting Washington State. Representatives from government and educational offices came together to discuss how to encourage students’ interests in Stem and aviation careers while also discussing how to better promote Stem events with Mitsubishi’s flight-test center. The company also announced a space camp raffle for the Moses Lake High School ninth graders through which Mitsubishi would pay for two students to attend Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., from August 6 to 11.

It was also here that senior advisor and former president of Mitsubishi Aircraft America Hiromichi “Mitch” Morimoto received the “Honorary Citizen of the State of Washington” award from John Thorquist, head of Washington’s Office of Aerospace. Iwasa also gave a speech thanking the speakers and the students for participating in the event. After the event, Mitsubishi received feedback from the academic community about the program.

“We received a positive reaction from the school and community,” Iwasa said. “We are now planning to have another event probably next spring. It depends on the discussions with the community and school, but since this year’s event was so successful, we might do the same thing next spring.”

While Iwasa and Mitsubishi would like to bring the program back to Moses Lake, it is possible that Reach for the Stars with Stem can expand to other regions. Iwasa told AIN he is open to the possibility of bringing the program to airshows. If that happens, the program would be similar to NBAA’s YoPro program for young professionals in the aviation business. Iwasa also said he is open to working with NBAA at airshows so the program can reach others.