Inslee inaugurates STEM day with Japanese ambassador

Gov. Jay Inslee was in Moses Lake on Thursday to help unveil a new program from Mitsubishi Aircraft designed to encourage interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) among high school freshmen in Moses Lake.

Called “Reach for the Stars,” Mitsubishi Aircraft plans to bring about 600 ninth-graders from around the region to Big Bend Community College for half a day on May 16 to listen to and meet with scientists, engineers, pilots, and even an astronaut.

“An hour of inspiration can make a whole career,” Inslee said.

According to Scott Sobel, a public relations adviser with Mitsubishi Aircraft, many of the details of the half-day STEM program have yet to be worked out. However, he hopes to make the day “as interactive as possible.” Mitsubishi also sees helping to develop future generations of scientists and engineers as an investment in its own future.

“The is the first event of its kind in Washington, and maybe even the country,” Sobel said. “It’s a variation on what Mitsubishi has done for years.”

Inslee said Moses Lake was the perfect place to start such an outreach program.

“This is a hub of innovation,” Inslee said of both the Port of Moses Lake and Big Bend Community College. “You have a booming economy in Moses Lake, and it’s exciting to see what this college is doing for that.”