“How did you spend your summer?” This will be a common question as students return to school soon! With an increased emphasis on STEM in both education and the workplace, Jacqueline Boyd, from Eunice recently had the opportunity to spend a week of her summer at Tech Trek, New Mexico, a summer STEM camp, sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Jacqueline attends Caton Middle School and will be entering eighth grade in the fall.
Tech Trek New Mexico, held on the campus of New Mexico Tech University, is a weeklong, residential STEM camp for rising-eight-grade New Mexico girls who are passionate about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). Tech Trek incorporates a variety of hands-on activities including a daily 3 hour core class, workshops, field trips, and a QA session with women professionals in STEM careers from around the state.
At Tech Trek, campers are immersed in a world that empowers and encourages them to visualize themselves as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer specialists. In addition to the daily 3-hour core classes in subjects ranging from Mechanical Engineering to the Stellar Life Cycle, the girls participated in workshops on chemical compounding, genetics, the engineering design process, game theory, the design of roller coasters, and many other subjects.
“The future is #GirlsinSTEM!!” Congresswoman Melanie Stansbury posted to her Facebook page. Stansbury represents New Mexico’s first congressional district, and visited with this year’s participants. “These young ladies are the future astrophysicists, mathematicians, engineers, and scientists that will fuel our future!”
The campers also attended an Engineering Expo, the New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources’ Mineral Museum, a Star Party, where they used telescopes and learned a bit of astronomy, enjoyed a geocaching scavenger hunt, and learned about financial literacy through a game activity.
For more information about Tech Trek, please visit https://techtrek-nm.aauw.net/.
