​USAS Program Overview​​

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UCF’s Institute for Simulation and Training (IST), working through the UCF Foundation, seeks to encourage STEM education and promotion of aviation as a career path. The UCF STEM Aviation Showcase (USAS) features various flight simulator activities including Microsoft Flight Simulator, Drone Racing League, STEM activities (game-engine development for flight sims), drones, and other content that rotates throughout the exhibit. IST has developed both traveling semi-permanent exhibits to live at STEM-based locations such as Cade Museum in Gainesville, Florida to introduce, educate, and inspire young people about aviation and the many career opportunities it offers.

 

Through this outreach and showcase, UCF IST is growing its partnerships with Central Florida communities to reach underserved populations who might not otherwise be exposed to aviation or see themselves as future pilots — our goal is to make an impact in the field of aviation by broadening the future workforce as we foster interest in aviation and associated STEM fields/careers.

 

In our first year of operation USAS facilitated thousands of student interactions with our various flight simulators. We were able to attend 16 events with a collective 150,000+ attendees. In our second year USAS is actively working with and pursuing educational partners, STEM, and community partners that share in our mission to establish short and long-term installation/loaning of our flight simulators and equipment for use at events, in educational curriculum, extracurricular programs, and community outreach to expand our opportunity to reach students and have more sustained interactions between them and our flight simulators.  

 

A huge thank you to the Orange County Public Schools, TEQGames, STARBASE, Cade Museum, Kennedy Space Center, Blue Origin, and Orange Technical College.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​