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!
MSBR Has Provided Over
26 Grants Supporting
STEM Education
2022 Grant Recipient Projects
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
This FIRST Tech Challenge team is focused on learning STEM through competitive robotics. In 2024, they placed first in the Chesapeake region and will go to the World Championship in Houston. They learn and teach STEM through many outreach activities to students and to local engineering and science organizations. Many team alumni are also now active in the STEM community.
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
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
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 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 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.
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 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)
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.