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NAVAIR Lakehurst employees judge high school science fair

  • Published
  • By Tom Worsdale
  • NAVAIR Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Five employees from NAVAIR's Lakehurst site volunteered as judges for the Lacey Township High School science fair.

The science fair was hosted on Feb. 20 in the high school's library in Lanoka Harbor, N.J., and featured more than 100 participants.

The NAVAIR Lakehurst judges -- William Borkowski, NAVAIR Lakehurst's Education Outreach Coordinator, Kevin Kasper, mechanical engineer, Emberle Lawson, mechanical engineer, Nicholas Cavaliere, mechanical engineer, and Christine Doeren, Aircraft Launch and Recovery Equipment development program systems engineer -- were paired up with Lacey Township High School teachers to judge the projects.

Of the five judges, two - Doeren and Kasper - are Lacey Township High School alumni.
Kasper, who has volunteered as a judge and NAVAIR judge coordinator for the past three years, said he enjoys taking part in the science fair. "I enjoy when a student is genuinely interested and passionate about their project. It's a bonus when they teach me something," said Kasper.

During the science fair, Kasper, who works in the Prototyping and Manufacturing Division, had the opportunity to judge a student's welding project. "It was interesting to see him passionate about welding and how he wants to progress his career at such a young age. He picked up on my knowledge of welding and that led to a conversation about what I do at work."

Lawson, a first time judge at the science fair, said she enjoyed interfacing with the students. "It's nice to make that connection especially as they are trying to figure out what they want to do with their career."

Students from the various science classes at the high school competed in categories, which included classical experiment, demonstration, applied art, green, media and the "lighter side of science," which is generally a humorous project, explained Lacey Township High School Science, Technology, Engineer and Mathematics (STEM) and physics teacher, John Kuzan.

Michael Tufano, a sophomore, was named "Best in Show" for his wind power and solar energy project.

Kuzan said that while many of the projects focus on concepts typical to biology and physics, the students' approaches to the topics are always changing. "It's all the same foundation, but what they do with that foundation is always different."

Kuzan, a Lacey Township High School alumnus, worked at NAVAIR Lakehurst's Education Outreach Office for four summers where he helped to promote STEM through student tours and programs at NAVAIR's Lakehurst site.

He sees NAVAIR's participation in the science fair as a positive experience for the students. "It's not just something your teachers want you to do; outside industry and agencies are saying, 'That's a great idea.' and that gives a lot of weight to what the students are doing in the classroom."

In addition to NAVAIR, the Ocean County Parks and Recreation Department, Paul Butler, an associate professor at Ocean County College, and Dr. Robert Thompson of Thompson Healthcare and Sports Medicine volunteered as judges for the science fair.