Maj. Gen. Joseph Caravalho, Jr. visited the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory's Neuroscience GEMS program at Fort Rucker, Alabama July 14 and 15. On the first day of his visit, he observed and engaged with program participants and received an overview of the USAARL GEMS program by Assistant Program Coordinator Jessica Cumbee.

USAARL's GEMS resource teacher, Sarah Thiel, developed the program in house in 2012, making it one-of-a-kind. Neuroscience GEMS allows participants to explore each of the five senses and showcases how each sense relates to USAARL's research capabilities.

Each day, participants have the opportunity to visit and explore one of USAARL's unique lab spaces through the STEM professional enrichment and development experiences (STEMPEDEs). Participants engage in some of USAARL's most unique assets, including the vertical acceleration tower, the NUH-60FS Black Hawk Flight Simulator, the JUH-60A Black Hawk Helicopter and the Man-Rated Multi-Axis Ride Simulator.

During his visit, Maj. Gen. Caravalho accompanied the participants on their Acoustics STEMPEDE, where engineers in USAARL's Auditory Protection and Performance Division led them through activities in sound localization and exploring two- and three-dimension sound waves.

On the second day of his visit, GEMS participants presented a signed lab coat to the commander. After donning the lab coat, Maj. Gen. Caravalho addressed the participants of the program. He encouraged them to have big dreams, noting the unlimited opportunities in the U.S. Maj. Gen. Caravalho also challenged the participants to take responsibility of younger students by educating, mentoring and encouraging them to develop big dreams themselves.