The Challenger Learning Center on the West Kentucky Community and Technical College campus is working to raise money for renovations.
PADUCAH — A local science learning center is eyeing several upgrades that will eventually help students land careers in STEM fields.
STEM jobs are in high demand and are expected to continue increasing into the future.
That’s a big reason why the more than 20-year-old Challenger Learning Center in Paducah is beginning an effort to upgrade its facilities.
Challenger Learning Center
These improvements include new computers, robotic arms, monitors, and camera systems. The mission control room, where local students participate in space simulations, will also be renovated.
The total cost is $500,000.
The center is located on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College and is currently working to raise funds.
Challenger Learning Center
Their goal is to make the program accessible to more students, ultimately leading to careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
They hope students like Caldwell County seventh-grader Colton Knight will benefit from the changes.
“Controller, we’re ready for it,” Knight said Tuesday.
He was a seventh-grader in Caldwell County working on an important challenge: detecting water on Mars.
“Controller, we’re ready for it,” Colton Knight said. He, his seventh-grader in Caldwell County, was trying to determine whether there is water on Mars Tuesday through a simulation at the Challenger Learning Center.
“It was fun,” Knight said. “I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
Knight was participating in a simulation at the Challenger Learning Center on the WKCTC campus in Paducah. His teacher, Melinda Smith, said the center gives students like Knight the opportunity to be exposed to his STEM projects and careers beyond the classroom.
Melinda Smith, a seventh-grade science teacher at Caldwell County Middle School, said the center gives students like Colton an opportunity to be exposed to STEM projects and careers beyond the classroom.
“They can see the connection to those jobs and see what it’s going to be like,” Smith said. “And you might be able to start your career from there.”
Center director Melisa Duncan said that’s why the center is launching a space exploration campaign to raise funds for out-of-this-world upgrades.
Improvements can serve as a catalyst for students’ future in STEM and demonstrate their potential for achievement.
“In particular, our mission control tends to be similar to Apollo-era mission control, and now we’re going to upgrade it and make it more similar to NASA’s modern mission control, SpaceX, Blue Origin.” said Mr. Duncan.
These improvements can serve as catalysts for students’ futures in STEM fields and demonstrate what is possible.
Colton Knight said while he enjoyed his experience at the Challenger Learning Center, he had never had an experience like it before.
“It’s going to get them thinking about careers,” Duncan said. “You might not want to be an astronaut, but you might want to be a doctor, you might want to be a flight surgeon, you might want to be a meteorologist.”
As for Knight, he doesn’t know exactly where the future will take him, but his work at center is giving him some ideas.
“If you build science-related things and build probes, that would be great,” he said.
Challenger Learning Center is working to solicit donations from both businesses and individuals.
“In particular, our mission control tends to be similar to Apollo-era mission control, and now we’re going to upgrade it and make it more similar to NASA’s modern mission control, SpaceX, Blue Origin.” said Mr. Duncan.
Center upgrades will begin in June 2024. If you would like to donate, please click here. here.
Caldwell County Middle School is currently funding trips to the Challenger Learning Center. gear up, be A federal grant aimed at giving kids more exposure to STEM programs outside of high school.
