Key Points
- This inspiring multi-day Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) challenge
- features the Science Center’s Youth Exploring Science (YES) students to design, create and
- fly fully electric aircraft, with awards based on glide performance.
- After completing this EPIC STEM Challenge, these students will serve as peer-mentors for
- the EPIC STEM Challenge at the Science Center summer camps in 2025.
- This is the first of many Lindbergh Foundation education programs and events leading up to
- the 100th anniversary of Charles A. Lindbergh’s historic 1927 New York to Paris flight in
- the Spirit of St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (July 29, 2024) — The Saint Louis Science Center, in partnership with the sustainable aviation nonprofit Lindbergh Foundation, have announced an inspiring multi-day Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Challenge that will engage the Science Center’s Youth Exploring Science (YES) students to design, create, and fly fully electric aircraft, with awards based on glide performance. Charles Lindbergh was 21 years old when he moved to St. Louis in 1923 to fly the mail route from St. Louis to Chicago. Anne Morrow Lindbergh was the first woman to earn a glider pilot license in 1929, at age 23. The EPIC STEM Challenge is sponsored by local aerospace supplier Seyer Industries, the Spirit of St. Louis 100 organization members and global manufacturing leader Starrag. The competition project kicks off Wednesday, July 31, featuring 15 St. Louis area students from the Science Center’s YES program, spending three days designing and building their very own electric aircraft in the hopes of sparking a passion for the future of sustainable aviation. On Saturday, August 3, students will compete in a “fly-off” beginning at 12:00 pm CT, viewable to the public at the Science Center, with awards for specific achievements. The Yes teens participating in the challenge will serve as peer-mentors for the EPIC STEM Challenge at the Science Center summer camps in 2025. The EPIC STEM Challenge was developed by Starfish Education and, with the assistance of the Lindbergh Foundation, popularized it in the Pacific Northwest, where thousands of students have designed and flown electric aircraft in annual competitions since 2015. Now, the Lindbergh Foundation is relocating its headquarters to St. Louis to build on the region’s rich aviation history and growing position as an innovation leader. Additionally, as the 100th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight approaches, the Lindbergh Foundation’s new collaboration with the Science Center and Starfish Education will work to inspire the next generation of engineers in a city city with a growing center of advanced aerospace manufacturing.“As we plant new roots in St. Louis, collaborating with the Science Center to implement the EPIC STEM Challenge is a critical first step toward a broader goal of decarbonizing the avation industry,” said Lindbergh Foundation Chairman Erik Lindbergh. “Working alongside world-class manufacturer Seyer Industries and the world’s foremost machine tool innovator in Starrag to incentivize the next generation.” We’re proud to contribute to the growing innovation scene here in St. Louis, and having these students act as peer mentors for next year’s summer camps is brilliant.” “The Science Center’s mission is to ‘inspire everyone to be curious and engaged in science,” said Dr. Becky Thompson, the Science Center’s Chief Science and Education Officer. “Partnering on events like the EPIC STEM Challenge with the Lindbergh Foundation, helps feed into this region’s efforts to encourage deeper bonds with science and technology in our world.”
About The Lindbergh Foundation
The Lindbergh Foundation is focused on promoting innovation in the technology and uses of flight, while honoring Charles and Anne Lindbergh’s unique emphasis on balancing the need for technological advancement and environmental stewardship.. With a goal of decarbonizing the aviation industry, the Lindbergh Foundation seeks to drive innovation and advance education that accelerates the aviation industry’s transition from carbon fuels to sustainable alternatives. For more information, including how to become a member of the Lindbergh Foundation’s Spirit of St. Louis 100 campaign, visit lindberghfoundation.org.
About The Saint Louis Science Center
The mission of the Saint Louis Science Center is to inspire everyone to be curious and engaged in science. Named a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate in 2016, the award-winning Science Center engages guests through on-site experiences, including hundreds of hands-on exhibits, the OMNIMAX® Theater, which is one of just nine IMAX® Dome with Laser theaters in the world, and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium featuring the largest artificial sky in the Western Hemisphere. Additionally, the organization provides informal educational programming to schools and other organizations in the St. Louis community and is home to the nationally recognized Youth Exploring Science (YES) program, which works with teens from underserved communities throughout their high school years to prepare them for in-demand STEM careers. For more information about the Saint Louis Science Center, please visit slsc.org.
About Starfish Education
Starfish Education, located near Seattle, WA, specializes in STEM curriculum design, professional development workshops and community/corporate outreach for K-12 organizations and stakeholders. Founded in 2005, its mission has been to make a difference in STEM education. As part of this mission, Starfish Education created the Electric Propulsion Innovation Challenge (EPIC) as a low-cost, hands-on way for students in grades 6-12 to explore aerospace and aviation careers and foster STEM skills. For more information about the EPIC STEM Challenge and Starfish Education, visit: StarfishEducation.com
For more information on the EPIC STEM Competition, including how to attend the fly-off on Saturday, August 3rd, visit https://www.slsc.org. On-site August 3rd at the Science Center, contact Thomas Lee with the Lindbergh Foundation at (949) 636-3558 or Tom@LindberghFoundation.org