Several Newport News Shipbuilding volunteers are in the TryEngineering Together program, an e-mentoring program that connects elementary and middle school students in under-resourced communities with STEM professionals.

The program aims to inspire students and build their STEM knowledge and confidence through a safe, 100% virtual platform. The students and mentors correspond throughout the academic year by exchanging online letters. Both the student and the mentor read a STEM article, then talk about the topic. Mentors also discuss how their own education and careers relate to the topics, helping students to understand the real-world application of STEM.

Mentors have not been able to meet the students in-person until this school year, when they had the opportunity to sit down with the students one-on-one.

During an Aluminum Foil Boat Challenge, the students worked together as a team to construct a boat out of aluminum foil and ensure it had stability by testing it with the weight of 50 pennies. The mentors served as guides.

“One team understood the assignment and others required some back fixes. This was a fun, engaging activity for the volunteers as well as the students”, said Preshus Boone (E35), one of the mentors.