13-06-2025
Space and tech celebration in Nob Hill hopes to inspire the future of STEM
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Tapping into curiosity and hoping to make New Mexico's next great scientists. A special event from New Mexico's STEM-leaders on Thursday is giving kids hands-on experience in what may be their future career.
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'This is a way to kind of open their eyes to what's out there,' said Ronda Harmon, STEM Academy Director at the Air Force Research Lab.
They're planting the seed and hoping to fuel New Mexico's future. Dozens of kids learning about how they can been engineers or analysts not just years from today, but right now.
At a special event called 'Atomic 66,' dozens of kids got hands on with robots, building simple circuits, and even simulating rocket launches.
'Students often make decisions about what they're going to be when they grow up. Like in the middle school, grade levels. And if they're making that choice without knowing what all their options are, then they're making a very limited choice,' shared Harmon.
This week long workshop directly puts kids in the driver's seat, making them aware of the many opportunities there are in stem-related fields.
'We have all kinds of jobs in New Mexico that kids can plug into, and I don't think they know that, right? So this is kind of that awareness, not only about what careers are available, but also about what skills it takes to do those careers,' continued Harmon.
Home to an off-site air force research lab and other tech-focused businesses, the Q Station on Central says it hopes to nurture critical thinking for the next generation, 'Sometimes kids think, 'that's too hard, I can't do that. I don't know anything about it.' But once you start to dabble and explore and say, 'what happens if I do this? What happens if I do that?' Then you're like, 'oh, this is really cool. This is fun for me,'' said Harmon.
The 'Atomic 66' event has tech talks and another youth-focused stem event happening on Friday. Click here to learn more.
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