Dayton charter school students attend world's largest simulation event

  • Published
  • By Derek Kaufman
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
ORLANDO , Fla. --  Two Dayton, Ohio high school students were afforded a rare opportunity to see some of the world's most advanced simulation technologies on display here Nov. 29 - Dec. 2 thanks to a partnership with the Air Force.

Jonetta White and Chris Honious flew from Dayton to Orlando and participated in the Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation and Education Conference, which brings together the top researchers and developers of training and simulation technologies for the largest annual event of its kind in the world.

White and Honious both attend the Dayton Early College Academy, an urban charter school for 7th to 12th grade students that focuses on readying all of its students for college by generating enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Aeronautical Systems Center officials at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base selected the students to attend. The trip was made possible through sponsorship support by the National Training & Simulation Association.

The students were selected for the superior academic performance and skills they demonstrated in robotics, said Col. John Franz. Colonel Franz is commander of the Training Systems Product Group within ASC's Agile Combat Support Directorate and oversees acquisition for all Air Force simulator systems.

Ms. White, a senior who has plans to attend Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and pursue a degree in economics, said the Dayton school's participation in the FIRST Robotics program was the reason she and Honious were invited to Orlando.

"We created a robot that was pretty spectacular. We were invited here to present our robot and our involvement with STEM," Ms. White said.

Several hundred students and teachers invited to attend I/ITSEC to observe simulation technologies being developed collaboratively by government, industry and universities. The Dayton Early College Academy students were among those who made technology and research paper presentations in a I/ITSEC program for "Future Leaders."

Chris Honious, a junior, said he is considering pursing a degree in either electrical engineering, mechanical engineering or physics. He's narrowed his school choices to University of Dayton, MIT or Penn State.

He remarked seeing the various technologies on display at I/ITSEC really opened his eyes to the possibilities for the future.

"I went to the TechEdge discovery lab (in Dayton) over the summer and that was overwhelming. Then to come here and see some of the stuff they did, it just blew my mind."

Ms. White said she was privileged to listen to a panel of senior Department of Defense leaders discuss future challenges faced by joint service members. What impressed her most was the healthcare pavilion where she observed 3D surgical simulation technology being demonstrated.

"I thought that was really amazing," she said.

"We just want to say thank you to everyone that allowed us to come here and everybody that had their displays at the convention. It really helped us to see how the STEM world applies and what it does for our military and how the industry and academic world fits in," Ms. White added.

Colonel Franz said it was important to reach out and engage with America's teachers and students to expose them to the variety of technology career possibilities available to them.

"These young men and women are our future leaders. They bring us fresh ideas, enthusiasm and imagination," said Colonel Franz. "I believe we touched many this week at I/ITSEC and hope we kindled in them a spark of interest to explore these technologies further."

The colonel noted engineers and scientists from a number of organizations at Wright-Patterson AFB -- in particular, Air Force Research Laboratory Air Force Institute of Technology and ASC -- volunteer in various capacities with local schools to share their experiences with young people.

"We definitely see this as an investment in the future for the Air Force and for our nation," said Colonel Franz.