LOS ALAMITOS, Calif. — About 3,600 students from the Los Angeles Unified School District took part in the annual STARBASE program.

The program is a Department of Defense Youth Program that aims to provide students with a career path in STEM.

Program leaders said they typically lose engagement in science by the time students reach fifth grade. That’s why having a facility where students can program their own robots can get them excited about STEM subjects, including science, technology, engineering and math.