Tech Trek
Tech Trek is a math/science camp designed to develop interest, excitement an
d self-confidence in young women who will enter eighth grade in the fall. It features hands-on activities in math, science and related fields. All sleeping, eating, instructional and recreational facilities are located on a university campus where camps are held.
See Tech Trek NOW!
Fresno Tech Trek 2009, Part 1, 2 & 3
So What is This About?
Campers are assigned math and/or science core classes that they attend daily. Girls also take shorter math and science-related classes and off-campus field trips that encourage maximum interaction and instruction.
Most important is the university campus experience. No matter what campus they attend, campers will have the opportunity to live the life of a college student for the week. They will learn to live with someone other than a sibling or a relative, share community bathrooms, eat dorm food and explore the campus area under the careful supervision of camp staff. They also will interact with women who model a high degree of science, mathematics or computer expertise as part of their daily lives.
Tech Trek is designed to provide every camper with exposure to all core subjects taught, as well as a selection of rotating labs designed to explore individual specialties more deeply. Hands-on activities in core classes, rotating labs and field trips at Tech Trek camps help to make math and science fun as well as educational. Instructors include credentialed middle school teachers and women currently engaged professionally in math, science or technology fields.
Evening programs could include astronomy, engineering, marine biology, and environmental studies to enhance the learning experience and introduce students to a variety of potential career areas.
Camp Staffing
Camp Directors have no problem identifying interested and competent teachers, as the word spreads every year from those who do participate, with most wanting to return again and again. Several teachers have returned every year since Tech Trek began. Instructors in Tech Trek camps spend long hours gathering materials and preparing, all of which helps make the week an unforgettable and exhilarating experience.
AAUW member volunteers serve as dorm moms/counselors (surrogate mothers), health aides, classroom aides, and fill in as needed. They provide the opportunity to bring like-minded middle school girls together for a week of involvement in math and science enrichment activities, which are fun while educational. As an example, one 2007 camper was overheard telling her parents, "I'm with my people!"
Former Tech Trek campers, who return as helpers, are now an indispensable part of the program at most camps. Recent college grads or high school seniors serve as Senior Counselors. Students still in high school may be Junior Counselors.
Junior/Senior Counselor Job Description
Please consider contributing your time to Tech Trek 2010. Help is needed, and involvement in the program is very gratifying. Volunteers may work a few hours helping with various tasks before camps open, distribute registration packets on the first day of camp, or, at the other end of the scale, live on the campus for the week.
How Tech Trekkers Are Chosen
Every girl attending a Tech Trek Science Camp is on a full scholarship and was first recommended for the program by her middle school science or math teacher. Local AAUW branch coordinators provide the schools and teachers with guidelines for choosing girls who will be successful at camp.
Recommended girls are contacted, along with their parents, and asked to complete an application and to write a short essay on a chosen subject. AAUW branch members then interview all prospective campers. Each branch will choose the number of girls for whom they have scholarships. Families are asked to pay a very small part of the total amount if they can.
More Information
- Timeline for 2009-2010
- Click HERE to find branch fundraising ideas
- Click HERE for suggestions on mentoring your Tech Trekkers.
- Tech Trek Works!
Research shows that Tech Trek helps girls succeed.
In early 2007, participants from the first four years of the AAUW California Tech Trek Science Camp for Girls (1998-2001) were surveyed about the impact of their camp experience on their attitudes and subsequent academic and personal choices. Respondents were largely enthusiastic about their time at Tech Trek, many saying that it had been the most influential personal or academic experience of their middle school years.
Respondents to the survey also indicated much higher levels of science and math course taking in their high school years than the national average, as well as increased participation in AP science and math courses. They also exceeded national norms in terms of college attendance. Though few of the women had completed their degrees at the time of the survey, greater percentages indicated that they intended to major in science- and math-oriented fields than the percentage of women in such fields nationally. All participants credited Tech Trek camp for encouraging their interest in science- and math-related careers.
To purchase a copy of the Initial Report on the Impact of the AAUW California Tech Trek Science Camp for Girls, please email techtrek@aauw-ca.org.
Created: 08/11/2008 Updated: 01/11/2010