Good morning,
I am excited to be here today, for day two of our Inaugural Summer Space Camp, sponsored by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
With space technology increasing globally and locally, and STEAM instruction gaining traction in our schools, it is important now more than ever to provide the tools to equip our children with the knowledge to compete in this advancing technological landscape.
Approximately 20 Bermuda public middle school students, aged 11-14, will participate in this week’s summer programme – and another 20 for the second round of camp next week.
This summer programme was designed to highlight NASA’s 50th Anniversary of the Apollo Landing, NASA’s current Moon 2024 goals, as well as how Bermuda supports launch vehicle tracking capabilities in support of NASA’s missions.
One thing that I want to be sure to note, is the contributions that Bermudians made in the Apollo moon landing mission. Some of our very own space scientists played a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the moon mission and I would like to take a moment to recognize them.
These two weeks of summer space camp will focus on topics such as Living in Space, Gravity and Buoyancy, Coding, Alternate Power, Weather and Hurricanes, Climate Change and more. Instructors will include staff from NASA and The Challenger Centre.
Students will have the opportunity to benefit from activities such as a Drone Obstacle Course, Designing a Mars Base, Designing a Spacecraft, and beyond.
I am also pleased to be able to announce that these camps come at no costs to the students and their parents. The Ministry of Home Affairs worked closely with the Ministry of Education to determine outstanding student candidates who would most benefit from these camps – and that is who is with us today, and will join us for next week’s camp.
I want to take a moment to recognize and thank the parents who are here with us today for their commitment to the enhanced education of our children.
I’d like to thank the Ministry of Education for their hard work in helping with the selection of student’s for this camp.
I want to thank the Department of Energy and the Bermuda College for helping to organize the logistics and location for this programme. Your efforts and skills have been invaluable in ensuring the success of this camp.
I’d also like to thank the NASA instructors who are here for taking the time to put together the curriculum and activities that our students will experience at this camp. Thank you and welcome to Bermuda.
Last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank the US Consul General for joining us today and for making the introduction to these skilled instructors and supporting us in executing this camp.
Students, I want to wish you a safe, fun and enjoyable summer camp experience. I hope that you will take full advantage of the course, activities and resources that will be available to you in the coming week.