Arnold Air Force Base, Tenn. -- ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, Tenn. – Arnold Engineering Development Complex was featured in the first ever Meet the Heroes: Community Partner Hall of Fame event at Hickerson Elementary, April 6, 2026.
The event featured the school’s students hosting interactive booths where they gave briefs about the organizations that they had toured previous to the presentation.
According to event organizer and Hickerson Elementary STEM Coordinator Michelle Mullican, each grade visited a different organization in the area.
Participating organizations included Bridgestone North America, Duck River Utilities, UT Extension, the Manchester Chamber of Commerce and AEDC.
For AEDC, Hickerson Elementary’s fourth grade students were assigned to the base and on Feb. 11, 2026, they ventured out to Arnold to learn more about the base.
The students were welcomed by AEDC employees Anna Burger, Samantha Hasty and Mike Dent. Each spoke about their specific job responsibilities and gave them information about where they worked on base and what a day in life looked like for each of them. The students were then able to tour the fire department, Innovation Lab, and ride around base. This allowed them to continue to expand their knowledge of the base.
Mullican said the tour was informative and she appreciated how everyone on base worked as a team.
“Everyone was engaging, impactful and gave the students a firsthand look at real-world STEM careers in action,” added Mullican. “I also appreciated the emphasis AEDC put on teamwork. We do many group projects and are constantly talking to the students about the importance of communication and working together as a team.”
Following their tour, the students went to work organizing all that they had learned on their trip and compiling it into a presentation for the Hometown Heroes event.
All organizations were invited to include additional materials for show-and-tell to hand out to event participants and to come out in support of the event.
AEDC Test Engineer Samantha Hasty was on hand for the event. Participating in the tour for the students, she wanted to see how much they had learned from their visit and how they would present it.
“I loved the event,” said Hasty. “I thought it was a very unique way to showcase what the students learned while also teaching them one of the most important skills – communication skills. The students almost completely led the entire event, which was very impressive. There were students serving snacks, guiding groups through the school and presenting what they learned.”
Hasty added that she is glad AEDC has an active role in helping local students engage more with STEM.
“I am excited that AEDC is engaging with STEM students in our community,” she said. “The students that were presented on AEDC did an excellent job showcasing what they learned from us. My favorite part of the event was hearing the students’ perspectives on what we do at AEDC. Any time I interact with students who are aspiring to work in STEM, I am always reminded of what a cool job I have here at AEDC. I love working with the next generation of engineers and serving as a representative of women in STEM.”
Mullican added that she felt the event was a success and credits AEDC along with all participating organizations for helping to spark student’s interest in STEM and its role in the community.
“Our Meet the Heroes: Community Partner Hall of Fame event was successful in many ways,” said Mullican. “It was a powerful example of how community partnerships bring learning to life. This experience strengthened our students' understanding of career options in our community and that their learning has purpose beyond the classroom. We appreciate AEDC for sending so many AEDC employees to our event and investing in our students in such a meaningful way.”