Joint Base Charleston was one of 12 awardees that received the Department of Defense’s National Defense Education Program Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) award.

The $134K award will be used to enhance the partnership between Trident Technical College (TTC) and Joint Base Charleston. The funding will be split between Civil Air Patrol initiatives and the 628th Force Support Squadron’s child and youth programs, Post and Courier reports.

“When we started building the program it wasn’t to build a new flashy thing,” said Capt. Blake Hege, 628th Civil Engineer Squadron Readiness and Emergency Management flight commander and STEM program manager. “It was to engage the base into the local STEM community to show the career fields we offer with STEM components.”

DOD announced the selection of 12 awardees for the National Defense Education Program Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) awards last month. Educational and industry partners will receive more than $31 million over a three-year period to establish or expand STEM education, outreach, and workforce initiatives for students and educators from early childhood through postsecondary.

“The goal of this effort is to establish programs to better position the current and next-generation STEM workforce, which is critical to the Department and our Nation’s security,” according to the program.

Read the full list of award recipients here

Photo By Steven Stover