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Nunez Baseball player Connor Stelly assists young guests with a chemical reaction experiment at Nunez Community College’s first Bayou Blast-Off on Feb. 21. The Aerospace Discovery Day drew more than 700 guests of all ages to the Nunez campus for a day of STEM activities and a showcase of Nunez’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program.
More than 700 curious explorers visited the Nunez Community College campus Feb. 21 for the first Bayou Blast-Off Aerospace Discovery Day.
Guests of all ages were treated to an impressive lineup of STEM activities and demonstrations, along with space-themed giveaways and décor, and a look at Nunez’s Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program. Nunez is the only college in the state to offer an Aerospace program, making it the ideal location for all things space-based and scientific.
“Aerospace Discovery Day exceeded every expectation!” Nunez Chancellor, Dr. Tina Tinney said. “The event was designed to support STEM education while elevating visibility and awareness of the Nunez Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program. The excitement surrounding the day highlights the tremendous opportunities to inspire individuals to consider how they can launch their careers right here at Nunez!”
Attractions included a whirling gyroscope for brave riders, a space bounce for little travelers, face painting, food trucks and more. But the main event was the strong lineup of STEM-related experiments designed to spark curiosity.
Children, with parental and Nunez supervision, launched their own rockets via chemical reactions. Guests built towers with the power of magnetism. Nunez biology faculty led trips through the human body on the anatomy table, an adult-sized tablet computer. Nunez Aerospace instructors helped young guests assemble their own components with the same tools and materials used by students enrolled in the Aerospace program.
“Through innovative programs like the Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program at Nunez Community College, students can see firsthand how education leads to exciting careers in a growing industry that is helping power our country’s space exploration,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser. “Louisiana has a proud history of contributing to the space program. With work on future NASA missions happening just minutes away from Nunez at the Michoud Assembly Facility, it’s inspiring to see so many young people discovering they can be the next generation of innovators, engineers, and explorers who will help shape that future.”
Featured guests included Jasmine Tregre from the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, flight suit-clad educators from the INFINITY Science Center, and student members of the Chalmette High School Rocket Club. Members of the Nunez Pelican Baseball team served as event staff, walking young visitors through experiments of all kinds.
In addition to the activities, there was much to see, including a presenter sporting an authentic Apollo Mission-era astronaut suit, a star lab that projected the starry night sky within a mini-planetarium, and the view from atop a wind turbine hundreds of feet in the air using the Wind Energy Technology program’s virtual reality headsets. Guests also posed with space-themed props at the event’s photo booth.
No guest left empty-handed, as Nunez handed out limited-edition mission patches and stickers commemorating the event, along with fun souvenirs like rocket-shaped pens.
Chancellor Tinney says on the impact of the Nunez Aerospace Manufacturing Technology program, “As we prepare for the historic Artemis II launch in April, it serves as an important reminder of the powerful role Nunez plays in shaping the future of our workforce. Many of our aerospace graduates helped build the Artemis SLS rocket as a result of our partnership with Boeing. The geographic advantage of our campus being 8 minutes from the Michoud Assembly Facility, combined with strong industry partnerships and a state‑of‑the‑art curriculum, firmly positions Nunez as a premier entry point into Louisiana’s rapidly expanding aerospace sector.”
