A Robust STEM Workforce Strengthens Our Space Community

America’s aerospace workforce is aging and Maryland’s workforce is no exception. In order to sustain US leadership in space, advance scientific exploration, provide accurate weather forecasting, and support our warfighter we must develop the next generation of scientists and engineers, and at a rapid pace. Our goal is to encourage STEM education leadership in Maryland for a thriving aerospace workforce future. Our STEM investments are broad across the entire Maryland region. The MSBR provided assistance to twenty-one organizations and expanded the reach of our STEM programs including a focus on under-served populations.

Grant applications are now closed for 2024 funding. We will reopen in Fall of 2024 for 2025 funding!

STEM Education
STEM Education

MSBR Has Provided Over
26 Grants Supporting
STEM Education

2022 Grant Recipient Projects

Baltimore Bolts

Baltimore Bolts

The Baltimore Bolts are a 6th year FIRST Robotics Competition Team composed of Baltimore City high school students. Students work side-by-side with STEM professionals to design, program, and build a robot that performs an annual challenge.

L.I.F.E Engineering STEM Education

L.I.F.E Engineering

The team built their FIRST Robotics robot “Mr. Chompster,” to participate in competitions, recruiting, and training students in STEM skills. During their six month build, they trained students in design, programming, and metal, plastic and electronic construction while conducting team building exercises and game strategies. This led to winning 2 awards at regional competitions.

Maryland Institute College of Art

Maryland Institute College of Art

This astro-animation project aims to bring STEAM learning to diverse groups. The team investigated how animation combined with science can increase interest with a young audience. Teaching art and astronomy together has the potential to promote art and science education.

Centennial Robotics

Centennial Robotics

The team sponsored three student-lead teams competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge for their parts, transportation, and outreach material. Teams Cryptic #20123 and Epsilon #20124 continued from the regional tournament to the state-level championship, winning numerous awards along the way.

Space RAIDers STEM Education

Space RAIDers

Team 2537 Atholton Space RAIDers is the robotics team of Atholton High School located in Columbia, Maryland. The SpaceRAIDers were established in 2008 to provide students with unique hands-on STEM education opportunities through participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

Infinite Voltage STEM Education

Infinite Voltage

RC Team 7770 Infinite Voltage, based in the Bel Air, Maryland area, includes high school students from across Harford County. This year, the team built a robot that scored high enough at qualifying events to compete at District Championships.

Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering STEM Education

Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering

The Center for Minorities in Science and Engineering held its annual STEM EXPO virtually in April. The event included a panel of current engineering students who discussed their transition to college, majors, and past internships and a virtual hands-on activity facilitated by undergraduate engineering students.

Baltimore City Engineering Alliance

Baltimore City Engineering Alliance

The Baltimore City Engineering Alliance supports STEM classrooms in Baltimore City Public Schools. This year they hosted an in-person Engineering Symposium, with 95 high school Seniors presenting their Capstone projects at the Baltimore Museum of Industry.

Patriots Technology Training Center STEM Education

Patriots Technology Training Center

The Patriots, under the coordination and direction of Justin Graves and the E-Sports Team, hosted 4 E-Sports Tournaments/STEM Careers summits. The summits included video tournaments and workshops showcasing STEM careers in the E-Sports Industry.

Team Squirrels

Squirrels

The Squirrels built multiple competition robots and had a great experience competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) and FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC).

The Blair Robot Project

The Blair Robot Project

Students on Team 449: The Blair Robot Project worked collaboratively to build and compete with a well-designed and fabricated robot. Recently, the team won two DC District Qualifier competitions and competed at the Chesapeake District Championship.

Electron Volts

Electron Volts

The team worked hard over this past season to train their members in STEM and the engineering design process. At the state tournament, they were division finalists with the highest score for their qualifying bracket. Their outreach activities this year included hosting a Lego Robotics workshop at an elementary school and sharing Their resources with other teams to help make them more successful.

Team 1727 REX

Team 1727 REX

Team 1727 REX is the only public school FIRST Robotics team competing in the Chesapeake District. They won the Autonomous and Quality awards at regional competitions, expanded team outreach programs, and hosted one of the largest FIRST offseason competitions called Battle of Baltimore.

Irrational Engineers STEM Education

Irrational Engineers

The team designed and created a robot, named Rocky Road, and successfully competed in this year’s game “Rapid React.” The robot was able to pick up large oversized tennis type balls, called cargo, and then dump the balls into a basin like structure called the Low-Hub.

River Hill Science Olympiad Team STEM Education

River Hill Science Olympiad Team

The River Hill Science Olympiad team competed in multiple local invitationals and regional and state competitions in Maryland. The team achieved 3rd place at regionals and 2nd place at the state competition.

SilverSat Limited

SilverSat Limited

SilverSat is a youth-led organization dedicated to igniting a passion for space engineering and science tweens and teens. Their team of twenty students designed and launched a CubeSat into Earth orbit through NASA’s CubeSat Launch Initiative.

Camp Invention

Camp Invention

Camp Invention is a week long summer enrichment program for youth, grades K-6, focusing on developing creative, inventive thinking and problem-solving skills through hands-on STEM content. It fosters 21st Century competencies, encouraging children to design and prototype novel, innovative and useful inventions that meet needs, solve problems, and have great value.

FIRE

Future Innovative Rising Engineers and Entrepreneurs (FIRE)

FIRE is a non-profit, 100% volunteer-based organization. Seventy-five students participated in building and launching rockets, programming and operating robots, and racing remote control (RC) cars.

UMD Loop

UMD Loop

UMD Loop project is a micro tunnel boring machine (TBM) for the Boring Company’s Not a Boring Competition. The 2-foot diameter machine digs a 100-foot tunnel, and is scored on its ability to do so with the tightest turn in the shortest amount of time.

Foundational Learning and Mentorship Experience (FLAME) STEM Education

Foundational Learning and Mentorship Experience (FLAME)

FLAME seeks to empower the next generation of STEM leaders by encouraging the interests of underrepresented students through experiment-based after-school mentorship programs which help to close the socioeconomic education gap.