On a Monday morning in July, a fan as tall as a refrigerator churned noisily in the cavernous classroom. As the outdoor temperature crept higher, teenage girls wearing hardhats and safety glasses wiped perspiration and sawdust from their faces. This was not a field trip. This was the second hour of camp at Ranken Technical College in St. Louis,…

This article reflects upon an investigative study of the powerful impact that mentoring partnerships have on pre-college students and young engineering professionals in Hartford, CT. It was found that these partnerships can provide very strong foundations for a diverse pre-college student engineering pipeline that includes significant numbers of…

There continues to be a persistent, widespread gender gap in multiple STEM disciplines at all educational and professional levels: from the self-reported interest of preschool aged students in scientific exploration to the percentages of tenured faculty in these disciplines, more men than women express an interest in science, a confidence in their…

Research shows that girls tend to lose interest in science and math as they move through the education pipeline--a retreat that often begins during middle school. Summer science camps can be part of reversing that trend, some say. Academic camps are on the rise across the country, including ones to get adolescent girls excited about the…

The purpose of this article is to emphasize the need to develop unique physical activity and sport programs that specifically target the participation of nonathletic and nonactive girls. In addition, the authors provide an overview of an example of one such program, Project Destiny. A description of Project Destiny is provided in terms of its…

Details a joint project between a university and a community group that involves girls in a one-week science day camp. Discusses how this project could be recreated on any campus with ease and outlines the role of the university in supporting the program. (DDR)