Here are some programs designed to develop and encourage girls' interest in science, math, engineering, and information technology. Most are in the Baltimore/Washington area, though some non-local programs are listed at the end. See also Websites for Girls.
The Java Passport High School Program at the University of Maryland, College Park is for high school students interested in computer programming. The program includes an emphasis on encouraging high school girls' interest in Math and Computer Science. The program offers three classes: Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced. There are three components: Spring, Fall, and Summer. There is no charge. More information is available at the web site.
SISTER, the Summer Institute in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Research at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, is a 5-day, non-residential program for girls entering the 8th grade. Participants explore careers in math, science and technology through a variety of activities with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center women scientists, engineers, mathematicians, researchers, and technicians. The program is held the 4th week in June and is open to female applicants with at least a B average in math and/or science. The program is free; participants are responsible for travel, accommodations, transportation, and lunch. Contact: Joan Sanders, Education Office, 301-286-0517 or Terri Patterson, Equal Opportunity Programs Office, 301-286-0628.
Summer Days Math and Science Camp for Girls
This one-week residential camp for girls entering grades 6-9 in the fall is located at Echo Hill Outdoor School in Church Hill on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Echo Hill Outdoor School is a 350-acre working farm that overlooks the Chesapeake Bay. Students live in a dormitory and work with local women mathematicians and scientists in areas such as ecology, archaeology, and statistics. Camp usually takes place the second week of July. Tuition is $395 (scholarships are available), and an application form and $100 deposit are due by May 1. The website warns that there is usually a waiting list by April. Contact: tracy.davenport@washcoll.edu
The Women in Engineering Program at the University of Maryland College Park offers several programs that aim to increase interest in math, science, and engineering among students, especially girls, in elementary, middle, and high school. More information is available at the WIE site.
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A Few Coed Programs
The University of Maryland College Park offers a wide variety of summer programs, including a number designed to encourage students' interest in science, engineering, and information technology. Among them: Cybercamp, Educational Talent Search Program SummerTechnology Program (for low income high school students), El Ingeniero (7th and 8th grade students, primarily Hispanic), ESTEEM Research Mentoring Program (summer and academic year components), Jump Start (high school students interested in the life sciences), Physics is Phun, Upward Bound Math and Science Regional Center, and more.
A Few Programs Outside the Baltimore/Washington Area
MIT Women's Technology Program is a four-week residential summer program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science to introduce high school girls to EECS in the summer after 11th grade. See the website for more details.
TechGirlz, sponsored by the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y., is a a week-long summer camp for deaf and hard-of-hearing girls entering 8th grade who are interested in science, technology, engineering, and math. The session in 2006 will be July 30-August 6. See the website for more information
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