Massport STEM Expo Attracts Thousands of Local Students to Learn About Careers in Science & Technology

BOSTON – Today, over 2,100 middle and high school students and teachers from the Greater Boston area attended Massport’s Aviation and Maritime STEM Expo at Boston Logan International Airport. This year’s event included 42 schools, including Charlestown High School, East Boston High School, and Excel Academy. Students from several communities in the Merrimack Valley, the North Shore, the Blackstone Valley, the South Shore, Cape Cod, and New Hampshire’s Seacoast, also participated.

The annual education expo gives students a chance to meet with some of the experts in aviation and maritime industries, along with representatives of government and academic institutions, to encourage them to pursue careers and educational opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).

“The Massport STEM Expo will help inspire students to pursue careers in some of the highest growth and highest wage employment categories in the Commonwealth,” said Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta, who was the guest speaker. “It is absolutely vital that the next generation of Massachusetts workers are able to come to the current job market with the skills necessary to access these careers. Thanks to Massport and all the employer partners at this event who are doing so much to connect our youth to great aviation and maritime related jobs.”

Massport employs hundreds of people in STEM fields, including electricians, engineers, analysts, and technicians who work in concert to accomplish the Authority’s mission of connecting Massachusetts and New England to the world. The STEM Expo started as a collaborative effort sponsored by the FAA and Massport in 1994.

“Massport proudly supports the women and men in STEM who work in our airports and ports. We thank them for spending some time today with these exceptional students and leaving a lasting impression in their lives as they consider a future in science and technology.” said Massport Acting CEO John Pranckevicius. “We are also grateful for the FAA’s partnership in this event for the past 25 years. We hope the Expo continues to spark the students’ curiosity in STEM and leads them to further explore opportunities in aviation and maritime industries.”

“The Massport STEM Expo is an important educational event for the FAA and its partners in the public and private sectors,” said Bailey Edwards, the FAA’s Assistant Administrator for Policy, International Affairs and the Environment. “We have an opportunity to encourage students to learn about the exciting and fulfilling careers that they can pursue in the fields of aviation and aerospace, a notable effort for which the FAA has been a strong advocate for many years.”

Forty-six exhibits and information booths representing various aspects of the industries served as the backdrop for the event at the Delta Hangar. Over 30 aircraft and other equipment were also on display, including a FedEx Airbus A300, a Robinson R44 helicopter from East Coast Aero Club, a State Police Bomb Squad vehicle, and bomb detection robot.