About
STARBASE Indiana is a 5-day, 25-hour intensive STEM program where students take part in hands-on, minds-on activities in science, technology, engineering, art/design, and mathematics. The program’s inquiry-based curriculum includes work with Newton’s Laws, Bernoulli’s principle, physics, chemistry, aerospace, robotics and robotics programming, engineering, computer design, FIRST LEGO League, rocketry and rocket launches, solar cars, aviation investigations, the science of baseball, and a variety of experiments. Students use computers to design space stations, all-terrain vehicles, and submersibles, and they practice metric measurement, estimation, calculation, geometry, data analysis, and teamwork while working together on these projects.
• Ages: 10–11 years old
• Schedule: The program can be run either for 5 sequential days in a single week or one day a week for 5 weeks, for a total of 25 hours.
• Price: The main STARBASE Indiana program is fully funded by the Department of Defense and is completely free to schools; schools must provide transportation and lunches.
The DoD STARBASE Program first originated in Detroit, Michigan as Project STARS in 1991, and in FY 1993 the U.S. Congress appropriated funds for DoD STARBASE and piloted the program in seven states. A structured after-school mentoring program, STARBASE 2.0 (now called STARBASE Advanced), for middle school students was piloted in 2010 at five locations. STARBASE Indiana is part of a premier educational program sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, with a primary focus on fifth graders and peaceful applications of STEAM such as designing robotic planetary explorers or vehicle crash safety systems.
The program’s mission is to offer a positive, proven approach to creating excitement and interest in science, technology, engineering, art/design, and mathematics, and to motivate students to explore these areas as they continue their education. The program encourages students to set goals and achieve them, and its primary goal is to inspire students to learn more science, technology, engineering, and math so that they will someday be able to get good jobs or have a better understanding of the world around them to make sound, informed decisions.
Students interact with military personnel, including military volunteers who lead tours and give lectures on how science, technology, engineering, art/design, and mathematics are used in different settings and careers. During these tours, students may discuss how chemical fires are extinguished, learn how injured people are transported, and explore the cockpit of an F-18 and the interior of a submarine. The program is considered an extension of the classroom rather than just a field trip, and mathematics is embedded throughout the curriculum as students explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate concepts in teams.
The program collaborates with school districts to support their standards of learning objectives, and its success relies on collaboration between the sponsoring military unit and STARBASE Academy, the school district, and local communities. Summer STEM academies connect community and careers and include rocket launches, Scalextrics, and other STEAM-focused activities. Listed donors and sponsors include VERIZON FOUNDATION, ERIE INSURANCE, MANNACOR, SCIENTECH CLUB FOUNDATION, LEGACY FOUNDATION, TEACHERS CREDIT UNION, SWEETWATER, L3HARRIS, NIPSCO/NISOURCE, BILLY DAVIS INSURANCE GROUP, TRELLEBORG, INDIANA TECH, SWEET AVIATION, YOUNG EAGLES, PARKVIEW HEALTH, PARKVIEW FIELD (HOME OF THE TINCAPS), WORLD BASEBALL ACADEMY, MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY, BAE SYSTEMS, INDIANA NATIONAL GUARD, and INDIANA AIR NATIONAL GUARD.
Schools that participate in STARBASE Indiana must provide transportation and make sure students have lunches, and the teacher and a few chaperones need to come along and stay all day to provide support and any necessary discipline. The program is designed at the 5th grade level for an entire class of up to 32 students, and homeschool groups may participate if they gather at least 20 students in 5th grade. One testimonial from CMSgt James E. Salway II, Retired, Indiana Air National Guard, states that STARBASE Indiana promotes many attributes that he believes will help children be successful in their endeavors.
Last updated May 14, 2026.
• Ages: 10–11 years old
• Schedule: The program can be run either for 5 sequential days in a single week or one day a week for 5 weeks, for a total of 25 hours.
• Price: The main STARBASE Indiana program is fully funded by the Department of Defense and is completely free to schools; schools must provide transportation and lunches.
The DoD STARBASE Program first originated in Detroit, Michigan as Project STARS in 1991, and in FY 1993 the U.S. Congress appropriated funds for DoD STARBASE and piloted the program in seven states. A structured after-school mentoring program, STARBASE 2.0 (now called STARBASE Advanced), for middle school students was piloted in 2010 at five locations. STARBASE Indiana is part of a premier educational program sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, with a primary focus on fifth graders and peaceful applications of STEAM such as designing robotic planetary explorers or vehicle crash safety systems.
The program’s mission is to offer a positive, proven approach to creating excitement and interest in science, technology, engineering, art/design, and mathematics, and to motivate students to explore these areas as they continue their education. The program encourages students to set goals and achieve them, and its primary goal is to inspire students to learn more science, technology, engineering, and math so that they will someday be able to get good jobs or have a better understanding of the world around them to make sound, informed decisions.
Students interact with military personnel, including military volunteers who lead tours and give lectures on how science, technology, engineering, art/design, and mathematics are used in different settings and careers. During these tours, students may discuss how chemical fires are extinguished, learn how injured people are transported, and explore the cockpit of an F-18 and the interior of a submarine. The program is considered an extension of the classroom rather than just a field trip, and mathematics is embedded throughout the curriculum as students explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate concepts in teams.
The program collaborates with school districts to support their standards of learning objectives, and its success relies on collaboration between the sponsoring military unit and STARBASE Academy, the school district, and local communities. Summer STEM academies connect community and careers and include rocket launches, Scalextrics, and other STEAM-focused activities. Listed donors and sponsors include VERIZON FOUNDATION, ERIE INSURANCE, MANNACOR, SCIENTECH CLUB FOUNDATION, LEGACY FOUNDATION, TEACHERS CREDIT UNION, SWEETWATER, L3HARRIS, NIPSCO/NISOURCE, BILLY DAVIS INSURANCE GROUP, TRELLEBORG, INDIANA TECH, SWEET AVIATION, YOUNG EAGLES, PARKVIEW HEALTH, PARKVIEW FIELD (HOME OF THE TINCAPS), WORLD BASEBALL ACADEMY, MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY, BAE SYSTEMS, INDIANA NATIONAL GUARD, and INDIANA AIR NATIONAL GUARD.
Schools that participate in STARBASE Indiana must provide transportation and make sure students have lunches, and the teacher and a few chaperones need to come along and stay all day to provide support and any necessary discipline. The program is designed at the 5th grade level for an entire class of up to 32 students, and homeschool groups may participate if they gather at least 20 students in 5th grade. One testimonial from CMSgt James E. Salway II, Retired, Indiana Air National Guard, states that STARBASE Indiana promotes many attributes that he believes will help children be successful in their endeavors.
Last updated May 14, 2026.
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