Capt. Elliott Orr, of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Far East District, demonstrates how buoyancy works to elementary school students at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, May 18, 2026. (Alejandro Carrasquel/Stars and Stripes)
OSAN AIR BASE, South Korea — Students at two Defense Department schools south of Seoul tested boats, programmed robots and launched paper aircraft during recent hands-on activities designed to spark interest in science and engineering.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Far East District partnered with Humphreys West Elementary School on May 18 and Osan Elementary School on May 21 to give students opportunities to explore structural engineering, robotics and other technical subjects through interactive learning.
Students rotated between activities where they built aluminum foil boats, controlled robots and tested how weight distribution affects structural stability using paper cups and plexiglass platforms.
One exercise challenged students to predict how many marbles their foil boats could hold before sinking. Another demonstrated how engineers distribute weight to prevent structures from collapsing under pressure.
Introducing STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — at an early age helps students become more comfortable with technical subjects and potential careers fields, said Capt. Elliot Orr, an operations officer for the Far East District.
The demonstrations allow students to learn through observation and experimentation rather than relying solely on formulas and classroom instruction, he said at the Humphreys event.
Felix Canete, a project manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Far East District, carries out a wind tunnel experiment with students at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, May 18, 2026. (Alejandro Carrasquel/Stars and Stripes)
“I think being able to visualize it helps a lot of students recognize that just because you can’t do the math initially, you can understand those basic concepts,” Orr said.
The activities reinforced lessons students already encounter in science classes while exposing them to engineering and technology careers, said Humphreys West third-grade teacher Tobiah Engel.
“The STEM activities allow them to connect those mathematical principles, those engineering principles to the science they’re learning,” he said.
At Osan Elementary, about 480 kindergarten through fifth-grade students rotated through eight stations set up throughout the gymnasium and library.
Sgt. 1st Class Wilbert Batulan, of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Far East District, assists students with an experiment at Osan Air Base, South Korea, May 21, 2026. (Alejandro Carrasquel/Stars and Stripes)
The event marked the first schoolwide STEM partnership between the school and the Corps of Engineers, according to assistant principal Tiffany Ploeger.
“The opportunity for students to have hands-on, real-world experience is the best way to learn,” she said at the event.
The activities gave Osan fifth-grader Madison Sevold a new appreciation for engineering.
“Now that you look deeper into the physics and the chemical reactions that lead up to what they do, I respect them much more,” she said.
