Four U.S. Army Operational Test Command employees volunteered as on-site judges and support personnel at the recent Junior Solar Sprint competition in Waco hosted by the Texas Technology Student Association.

Rachel Hoskins, G-1 program analyst, staffed the recruitment and outreach booth, while Amy Friese, operations research system analyst, Methodology and Analysis Directorate, and Joseph Lucidi, ORSA, and Vincente Gonzales, electronics engineer, both from Test Technology Directorate, assisted with judging. OTC represented the Army Educational Outreach Program, an Army program that supports science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

JSS is a hands-on opportunity for students to apply STEM concepts, creativity, teamwork and problem-solving skills as they design, construct and race solar-powered cars. Volunteer responsibilities included timing the cars, judging notebooks and evaluating the overall presentation of the vehicles. The competition featured nine entries from fourth-eight grade students.

About 2,000 people attended the state event, with projects ranging from dress-making, robotics, wood-working, welding, video production, animatronics and wooden cars. TSA provides the program for students grades K-12.

Overall, support of the event was a rewarding experience, according to Hoskins.

“A memorandum from Maj. Gen. Peter Utley, commanding general of the United States Army Test and Evaluation Command, came out in August 2014,” she said, “and allows ATEC and OTC to take a new approach in supporting STEM challenges and activities that engage young people in STEM-related fields.”

“Although the TSA event was not the ideal location to recruit for college interns or look for new federal employees,” Hoskins said, “our booth served as a means to encourage students to look into future STEM-related career fields within the Department of the Army.”

The OTC volunteers displayed photos and showed the official OTC “hooah” video at the booth, which elicited lots of questions, Hoskins said.

“Many were intrigued by the video, which depicts OTC employees performing their duties throughout the command,” she said. “The most common questions were: ‘How do I apply for a federal position?’ and ‘Do I have to be in the military to do the cool stuff in the video?’”

OTC is looking forward to participating in other career fairs and recruitment events, Hoskins said.

The Army’s only independent operational tester, OTC has test directorates located at Fort Hood; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Sill, Oklahoma; Fort Bliss; and Fort Huachuca, Arizona. OTC is a subordinate command of ATEC, located at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. OTC assists Army senior leadership with acquisition decisions by conducting operational tests in realistic environments to determine if equipment and systems are suitable, survivable and effective.