OUR IMPACT
Austin, Texas
STEAMSPACE® exists to help create excitement and build the needed pipeline for future leaders in the space industry. To spark engagement and interest, we ask students to apply their STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) skills to solve actual problems that industry leaders are contemplating. In turn, we ask industry leaders and college science and engineering students to serve as judges and mentors. Why? Because it’s important for 4th – 12th grade students to see what is possible, as well as the path to get there. Texas is home to NASA as well as state-of-the-art development and test sites for commercial space firms like Boeing, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Firefly – all leaders in cargo, satellite, and space tourism transport – an industry that is expected to double to $1.4 Trillion by 2030 and will need a skilled workforce as it grows.
We rely heavily on metrics and surveys for adaptation and improvement. We send out surveys with event registration as well as post-event surveys for feedback on how we can better serve, offer more accessibility, and make our events and competitions more engaging for students and their teachers.
We are proud that, since 2015, we have reached over 4,500 students and their teachers – a number we hope will grow exponentially as we expand our reach to include more Title I schools near aerospace hubs.
So far:
60% of the students who have participated in STEAMSPACE® competitions have been female.
67% of the students are from minority groups.
60% have come from Title I schools.
Survey data tells us that we are on the right track.
When we ask students:
75% respond that they are interested in pursuing STEM in college and beyond.
90% report that they learned about STEM careers, especially the space industry.
When we ask teachers:
90% report that their students gained real-world STEM knowledge and are better prepared to enter STEAM fields.
90% indicate that their students have an understanding of where the aerospace industry is headed.
When we ask both teachers and students:
90% believe that the program is well organized and that the speakers are good or excellent.
Our goal is to continue to offer high quality programming that generates excitement for this burgeoning industry.