Connect

This is the latest installment in our Connect article series “Hope at Work” — showcasing inspiring stories about how our team members contribute to UVA Health’s 10-year strategic plan: “One Future Together Health and Hope for All.” 

No matter where you work, you have an opportunity to inspire hope in others. These stories show how:

UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center team members are sharing their science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) expertise with the next generation of innovators.

This fall, all fifth-grade students in Culpeper County, Virginia took learning to new heights at the 8th Annual Soaring Into STEM event at Culpeper Regional Airport. The experience, which took place in partnership with the Culpeper Air Fest Foundation, introduced more than 650 students from Culpeper County Public Schools (CCPS), private schools, and homeschools to real-world applications of STEM.   

The event featured a range of interactive zones designed to connect STEM learning with potential careers from aviation and robotics to construction, coding, and healthcare.

Healthcare Takes Flight  

For the past five years, healthcare has played a key role in the STEM event as students get a firsthand look at medical technology and emergency response. This year, UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center, with support from the Claude Moore Scholars Grant, set up a very popular exhibit about emergency response. 

Led by Erik Gould, A.S, NREMT-P, Operations Manager, Ambulance Department, UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center — a team of UVA Health professionals hosted the ambulance display, one of the event's biggest draws. Students toured an ambulance, explored lifesaving equipment, and spoke with medical team members about the fast-paced world of emergency medicine.  

UVA Health team members also presented a new, hands-only CPR demonstration, which follows the American Heart Association’s initiative to teach simple, lifesaving skills that anyone can perform. Using six CPR mannequins, UVA Health team members guided students through the technique. Participants proudly received stickers and handouts to celebrate their achievement.

Adding to the healthcare zone, PHI Air Medical Transport once again offered tours of a helicopter to show students how air transport supports emergency medical care. 

A Community Effort  

CCPS Career and Technical Education Director Randi Richards-Lutz, who oversees the event as part of the Culpeper Air Fest STEM Committee, praised the many local partners who made it possible. “We are so grateful to our airport, hangar owners, Career Partners, students, staff, and presenters for making our eighth year of STEM Days such a success." 

That community support was visible across airport grounds, with more than 70 volunteers and local businesses offering activities, demonstrations, and mentorship. Students from Culpeper Technical Education Center (CTEC) showcased projects such as an electric go-kart and renewable energy displays — many of them recalling when they attended the event as fifth graders themselves.

From exploring airplanes and helicopters to learning CPR and creating rivets from real aircraft parts, students left the event energized by what they had seen and inspired by the idea that their future careers could take off in STEM fields close to home.

Sums up Jeff Say, President, Career Partners, and Program Manager, Community Engagement, UVA Health Culpeper Medical Center: “We had perfect weather, exceptional organization, new additions, and well-prepared students. This continues to be a highlight for our fifth-grade students. They and their teachers truly enjoyed themselves!”