Special summer camp gets girls excited about technology

Summer means summer camps, including one in California aimed specifically at girls. 

“We don’t have enough women and minorities graduating in the field of science and technology and we want to try and improve on that,“ says Bob Martinez, IBM’s Outreach Program Manager.

This camp, and these campers, seem to be working.

“We’re building a solar powered nightlight,“ says camper Swetha Sririam.

These middle schoolers from San Jose and Gilroy are spending a week exercising their brains and learning technology with a hands on approach.

It’s not all fun and games, but it is interesting and effective.

“Girls should probably get into technology more and I want to be a robot designer when I grow up and so this is a good way to get into technology,“ says Sririam.

With power tools, soldering guns, and safety glasses, these kids see that technology isn’t all algorithms, pocket protectors, and computer code.

Sririam says, “If you tell somebody you can build a solar powered nightlight using glass wires and a plastic water bottle I think they would be interested.“

A highlight of the camp will be a trip to NASA AMES to remind these kids that shooting for the stars is not out of this world.

“I want to see how their work is and how life would be being an astronaut,“ says camper Kelly Medina.

They’re empowering the tech titans of tomorrow, today.