Patrons of the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum are invited to the launch of its newest exhibit, the youth-oriented STEM Center June 6 at 1 p.m.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and MATH, which are the four educational tenets that stimulate innovation in today’s youth. The focus of the STEM Center will be to tie these tenets to the historical resourcefulness and ingenuity of the Navy’s Construction Force, better known as the Seabees, as well as the Civil Engineer Corps, and Underwater Construction Teams.

The STEM Center’s creation is the result of collaboration between the museum’s exhibit planning team and local Seabee battalions, namely Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Four (NMCB 4). The funding was made possible by the Powell Family, who graciously donated money raised in memory of their middle child, Kennedy, who died at 15 months old on Jan. 2, 2014.

“Thank you to the community and the U.S. Navy Seabee Museum for providing a lasting memorial for Kennedy that will entertain and inspire children for years to come,” said Jessica Powell, Kennedy’s mother. “Kennedy touched many lives during her short 15 months of life, and while her time with us has past, we are thrilled to honor her by educating local youth about STEM principles, the U.S Navy and the Seabees through this amazing exhibit.

Each presentation within the STEM Center will offer a hands-on look at each Seabee job rating using a myriad of classic and modern toy and building sets that will entertain as well as educate in an environment that fosters communication and teamwork.

“The interactive nature of this exhibit will not only stimulate learning about the core STEM principles, but it will also give visitors – both young and old – a more tactical appreciation of the mission of the Seabees and Civil Engineer Corps,” said Dr. Lara Godbille, museum director. “The exhibit will also provide the museum a new opportunity to better engage with the local schools in fulfilling their STEM learning requirements while simultaneously educating them about the relevance of the U.S Navy both globally and locally.”

Members of the press are reminded of the June 2nd deadline to RSVP for the media day preview on June 4 at 1 p.m. Email the PR manager, Aramis Ramirez at aramis.ramirez@navy.mil.

