Sandia National Laboratories’ HMTech program is heading into its 40th year—and this June, it’s bringing 120 middle and high school students back into the hands-on STEM classroom.
The Hands-on Minds-on Technology Program, the longest-running education outreach program at Sandia, will hold sessions for students in Grades 6 through 12 across three weekends in June at Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
HMTech returns with 40th-anniversary sessions in June
Sessions are scheduled for June 13 and June 27, running from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Del Norte High School, located at 5323 Montgomery Blvd. NE in Albuquerque. Sandia National Laboratories volunteers will lead both days of instruction.
The program officially marks its 40th anniversary in 2026, making this summer’s run a milestone edition. With 120 students enrolled across Grades 6 through 12, participation levels reflect a sustained demand for hands-on STEM exposure in the Albuquerque area.
The program was founded to broaden STEM access for underrepresented students
HMTech’s origins trace back to the 1970s, when a small group of Sandia employees identified a gap in local education and decided to do something about it. Their goal was direct: expand access to STEM opportunities for students who might not see themselves represented in those fields.
That founding mission has carried through every iteration since. The initiative grew steadily, eventually becoming the longest-running education outreach program in Sandia National Laboratories‘ history—a distinction it still holds today.
Sean Harris, a Sandia IT and cybersecurity senior manager, notes that family members were among the program’s co-founders. That intergenerational connection runs deep, reflecting how thoroughly HMTech has woven itself into Sandia’s community identity over the decades.
Sessions cover topics from robotics and AI to genetics and cybersecurity
The June curriculum spans 12 distinct sessions across a wide range of disciplines. Students will work through robot design and programming, circuit playground activities, cybersecurity and programming concepts, and introductions to aerospace, systems programming, and mechanical engineering.
Newer additions reflect where technology is heading. A session on chat-to-agentic AI modeling introduces students to how artificial intelligence can be shaped and directed, while a Python arcade workshop offers direct experience with one of the most widely used programming languages in the field today.
The curriculum also reaches well beyond computing. Sessions on fermentation and carbon dioxide measurements, understanding genetic code, exploring the human body, and STEM in the garden pull life sciences into the mix—alongside number theory and algebra to round out the mathematical side.
That breadth is deliberate. Many of these topics fall outside a standard school curriculum, and the program aims to fill that gap, giving students a clearer picture of what STEM actually looks like in practice.
Sandia volunteers cite personal motivation and career impact
The people leading these sessions are not professional educators. They are Sandia engineers, managers, and scientists who give up their weekends because they believe the program matters.
For Harris, the motivation is personal — he participated in HMTech as a youth and credits the experience with shaping his career. “Those hands-on experiences opened doors I hadn’t even imagined,” he said. Volunteering now as a senior manager, he sees the program’s value from the other side of the classroom.
Procurement manager Shaina Saint-Lot brings a different perspective. She did not go through the program herself, and that absence is precisely what drives her to show up. “I wish I’d been a student in this program,” she said. “I don’t want kids to miss that discovery—or carry the same ‘what if’ that I did.”
Both volunteers point to something the program accomplishes beyond technical instruction: helping young people—particularly those who rarely see themselves in STEM spaces—recognize a future in science and technology as genuinely within reach.
What to know about attending or following the program
HMTech will hold its June sessions on June 13 and June 27 at Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Both days run from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. A total of 120 students in Grades 6 through 12 are enrolled across the program’s three weekends. Media are invited to attend the learning sessions. For press inquiries, contact Kim Vallez Quintana at [email protected] or 505-537-3294. The program’s 40th anniversary will be formally recognized in 2026.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
