MARS Explorer Diana Trujillo joins Columbia Memorial Space Centers Girls in STEM Club for Live Stream

  • October 25, 2021
  • Financial Partners Credit Union

Celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Education, the Live Stream will be Broadcast to California Schools

DOWNEY, CA - October 25, 2021 - The Columbia Memorial Space Center (CMSC) will host a live stream in celebration of National STEM Day on November 8th, featuring a live Q&A with lead engineer for the Mars Perseverance and Curiosity rovers and STEM education advocate Diana Trujillo. The Q&A will be followed by a STEM-inspired project demonstrated by CMSC’s Girls in STEM club. Sponsored by Financial Partners Credit Union, the broadcast will be offered for free to California schools, whose students can ask Diana questions and also recreate the Girls in STEM Club’s project in their classrooms. 

Earlier this month, Trujillo was the recipient of the 2021 STEM Award at the 34th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards and has been a long-time champion of STEM education. She co-created and hosted “Juntos Perseveramos,” NASA’s first-ever Spanish-language live broadcast of a planetary landing when Perseverance first landed on Mars, and she has been a trailblazer in encouraging women to pursue STEM careers and break down gender and cultural barriers. 

“National STEM Day on November 8th is a great opportunity to encourage kids to get energized about STEM studies early on,” Trujillo says. “I’m looking forward to sharing my experience and answering questions from students to inspire them to reach for the stars!”

“We’re so honored to have Diana as such an active member of our Board of Directors,” says Benjamin Dickow, Executive Director of the Columbia Memorial Space Center. “Thanks to her and our sponsor, Financial Partners Credit Union, we can bring this exciting event live to thousands of students.”

Schools can register to participate in the livestream at FPCU.org/STEMDay. Schools / teachers will have the opportunity to submit questions from students which Diana will answer during the live broadcast on Monday, November 8th at 11am. Registered schools will also receive a free, digital STEM Day Kit with ideas for projects that students can do in the classroom or at home, and additional STEM resources. 

“Financial Partners is thrilled to be able to offer this special event to local schools,” says Nader Moghaddam, President and CEO of Financial Partners and Chairman of the Columbia Memorial Space Center. “Supporting STEM education for today’s youth is one of our core missions, and we hope to reach as many students as possible on National STEM Day.” 

About The Columbia Memorial Space Center

Columbia Memorial Space Center is a space museum and hands-on STEM learning center located just south of downtown LA in Downey, CA, on the former site where all of NASA’s Apollo spacecraft and Space Shuttles were designed and built. The mission of the Space Center is to ignite a community of critical and creative thinkers. The Center includes LA’s only public robotics lab and Southern California’s only Challenger Learning Center, a one-of-a-kind space mission simulator. Through engaging programs, world-class exhibits and unique events, the Space Center strives to be the most accessible STEM opportunity in Southern California. 

About Financial Partners Credit Union 

With the mission of building lifetime financial partnerships, Financial Partners Credit Union serves over 86,000 members in California and stands at $2.1billion in assets. Financial Partners’ focus remains the same today as it did when the Credit Union was founded by eight aviation workers in 1937: saving money, making money, and saving time for its members. Membership is open to everyone who lives, works, worships, or attends school in Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Diego County. Visit FPCU.org or call 844.TRY.FPCU for details.