Trenton Catholic Academy (TCA) School students that are members of the school’s robotics team visited the “Cruiser in the Cornfield” yesterday.     “In the cornfields of southern New Jersey, there rises a sight that makes passersby look twice. It even draws in curious tourists, but this is no tourist attraction. What looks like a warship among the waving cornstalks is actually, well, a warship among the cornstalks.
 
Known to locals as the “Cruiser in the Cornfield”—or the USS Rancocas, for its closest body of water, Rancocas Creek—the facility is officially called the Vice Admiral James H. Doyle Combat Systems Engineering Development Site (CSEDS). Housing both Navy and Lockheed Martin personnel, the research and development facility is devoted to the AEGIS Combat System, a revolutionary naval air defense system capable of guarding against missile threats from land, sea and air .”**
 
TCA students were provided with a comprehensive tour of the facility provided by US Naval, US Government and Lockheed Martin Corp personnel.  The tour provided the students with greater insights into how STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is so relevant to their future.  TCA students participated in a round table discussion after the tour and had the opportunity to hear first-hand how a career in engineering can have both a personal and global impact.   In addition, TCA Robotics team leaders from the Lower and Upper School robotics team provided a presentation related to the school’s robotics team and recently completed successful seasons.   
Trenton Catholic Academy continues to focus on STEM as part of preparing its students for the the 21st century. Anne Reap, Director of the Lower School at Trenton Catholic Academy said,  “ Enhancing our STEM education programs maximizes student potential to learn by inventing, creating and designing as well as problem solving.  Students learn how to collaborate well with others, working towards solutions of problems the world needs.  Hands on experiences such as this trip ignite and fuel student’s interest and commitment to STEM education.”

** From The  Lockheed Martin Website @ htttp://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/100years/stories/cornfield-cruiser.html