Next generation of STEM experts is taking flight

Hundreds of students gathered in the Cradle of Aviation Museum last week to witness a launch. No, not of the life-sized replica rockets that surrounded them at the Garden City attraction, but of the museum’s new partnership with Catholic Health.

The health care company, which runs medical facilities like Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, will work with the museum to promote STEM education.

“Inspiring our young to consider pursuing additional education that is STEM-oriented benefits not only the next future generation of pilots and astronauts, but also health care professionals,” said Dr. Patrick O’Shaughnessy, chief executive of Catholic Health.

“That’s why we’re the sponsor of the Sky Theatre Planetarium — (For kids) to begin to learn about health sciences and how technology is actually impacting better patient care.”

The planetarium will now add movies about health care to its selection of space-themed showings. To start off, middle school-aged kids from Catholic campuses across Nassau County joined to hear the firsthand experiences of health care professionals during the recent program launch.

The sea of red, green and blue uniforms showed how many young minds were at the planetarium learning about the journey of medicine from beginning to end — from how to use the online patient portal, to what really happens when a prescription is filled out, to how nurses care for their patients.

The interactive panel was just a taste of what’s to come, Catholic Health officials said. The new health-themed features aim to inspire kids to not only explore medical careers, but also take good care of themselves. How can you stay healthy? What do you do when you start feeling sick? Where should you seek help? Curriculum is being developed to help answer those questions.

“We spend so much time on book education,” O’Shaughnessy said. “It’s really important to get the kids get out and actually see what is created, and get real world experiences.”

The biggest goal of Catholic Health’s partnership with the Cradle of Aviation, though, is to get kids excited about the many possibilities of tech innovation. The new exhibits are designed to pique the curiosity of young people, and encourage further exploration.

“Technology is wonderful, but it starts with people who care,” O’Shaughnessy said. “I see kids that maybe, after today, say, ‘Hmm, I have an interest in STEM, and what it may mean to either enter the health care field, or other areas that help make our world — or at least our little corner of it on Long Island — a better place.’”