Astronaut encourages parents to involve children in STEM education opportunities

Astronaut Michael McCulley, who piloted Shuttle Atlantis in 1989, talks to students during a STEM Saturday workshop at the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum in Titusville, Florida. (Photo: Scott Gunnerson)

Long before Michael McCulley piloted Shuttle Atlantis, the astronaut was always curious about how things worked as he grew up in Tennessee.

 "I was always a tinkerer and took engines apart from the time I was a kid," said McCulley, who flew on STS-34 that deployed the Galileo spacecraft in October 1989.

He credits his high school teachers in math, physics and English for developing a desire to learn and a broad outlook for his natural curiosity.

Now, he is helping promote that same curiosity in his 11-year-old granddaughter, Addy, by encouraging her to participate in the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum's monthly STEM workshops for children ages 8 to 13.

Each month, students spend an afternoon in a fun, educational environment investigating and getting hands-on experience in either science, technology, engineering or math while solving space-age challenges.

McCulley, who joined the Navy after high school, was assigned to be a missile technician, a highly technical job that included work with nuclear weapons, hydraulics and computers.

"The kind of things I learned, particularly the technical things, the STEM kind of stuff that I had learned in high school, resulted in me doing really well on the exams that determine what job you get once you are in the Navy," said McCulley, who went on to earn a masters degree in Metallurgical Engineering from Purdue University.

He believes that the attention paid to STEM subjects in his teenage years was crucial to launching a career that ultimately lead to nearly five days in space.

"I did well because I had such a great basis coming out of high school," said McCulley, who later became president and CEO of NASA contractor United Space Alliance.

He believes that a STEM curriculum is just as important today to a well-rounded education and a successful career in any line of work.

"Everything can be tied to science and math," McCulley said. "The sciences are at the root of everything that happens. To survive in this world and do well in this world, you need to have some understanding of STEM subjects."

He had no problem getting Addy, one of 10 grandchildren, interested in the STEM workshop sessions at the Space Walk of Fame Museum in Titusville, Florida.

Students shake hands with Astronaut Michael McCulley.

"I presented her with the opportunity and she jumped on it," the proud grandfather said. "Addy has embraced it and enjoyed it. She has a better understanding of how things work, how things fit together. I believe it is going to prepare her better for the things she is going to run into in high school."

McCulley said he and his granddaughter now share a curiosity about how things work, and he recommends the STEM workshops to other parents.

"I would encourage any parent whose child even has the slightest interest in space or aerospace or engineering or things like that to attend," McCulley said

"It helps them develop, it helps them grow. If they are curious people to start with, it gives them an avenue to be curious about how things work."

(To find out more about STEM Saturday workshops at the U.S. Space Walk of Fame Museum in Titusville, Florida, call 321-264-0434.)