“One of the most powerful things about our workforce is our people,” said Col. Robert Bailey, commanding officer, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity (MCTSSA) headquarters, Marine Corps Systems Command. “We help Marines with their problems, and in doing so, we help them be more capable.”

MCTSSA, a subordinate command to the Marine Corps Systems Command, is a full-scale laboratory facility. MCTSSA provides engineering, test and evaluation, and deployed technical support for all Marines and their missions. With about 300 Marines and civilians working together, MCTSSA provides support to Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton and the Marine Corps as a whole.

Along with the daily tasks, once a year, MCTSSA opens its doors to students aboard MCB Camp Pendleton and the surrounding communities to their Science Week. This annual event is five days packed with various Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) activities, set to inspire and educate children.

“The Marines and civilians here all have vast depths of knowledge and experience with these systems, and so you bring the kids in here and they get to do things they may not get the chance to do someplace else,” said Bailey.

Throughout the course of the week, there is a wide-ranging lesson plan and activities set for the students. The students get a chance to learn and have hands on experience with 3D printing, building and testing water rockets, flying quadcopters, understanding cryptography and building and testing Lego robotics.

“I hope they develop relationships with some of their fellow students, I hope they learn something that they didn’t know before, I hope that they can see the potential for what a technical career might look like for them in the future,” said Bailey.

Science Week is something not only the students look forward to but everyone in MCTSSA. The students get a chance to gain knowledge and experiences that may not be accessible in their everyday class curriculum. As for the MCTSSA staff and Marines, they get the opportunity to inspire students and help them grow, not just within the different aspects of STEM, but they get the chance to help each other grow as individuals in the community.

“We get to see our passion and enthusiasm for our job and our mission, through the eyes of these kids who are future leaders,” said Bailey.