Cannon lands STARBASE program

CLOVIS — The U.S. Department of Defense will be establishing a science and technology academies reinforcing basic aviation and space exploration, or “STARBASE,” program at Cannon Air Force Base.

The announcement came July 12 from the office of U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.

Heinrich said he wrote to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in January, supporting Cannon becoming a new location for the STARBASE program.

“The Clovis community and Cannon AFB have long shared a close and warm relationship. The dedicated teachers and staff of the surrounding schools and our military families work tirelessly so that our students have as many opportunities afforded to them as possible. I firmly believe that Cannon AFB and the Clovis community will benefit greatly from having a STARBASE program,” Heinrich wrote.

Heinrich noted, “The breadth of opportunities that will come from this program for our most at-risk students cannot be understated."

It wasn’t immediately clear when the program will begin at Cannon.

STARBASE has benefited more than 1.6 million students from 36 states and territories, Heinrich said.

Locations also exist at Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque and Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo.

It allows kindergarten through 12th-grade students to participate in a hands-on curriculum with military installations where they solve scientific challenges related to aerospace.

Students in the STARBASE program “learn the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills in real-world situations and develop essential math and science fundamentals while fostering positive relationships between military bases and their surrounding communities,” Heinrich said.