Last Updated on May 9, 2018 by cassnetwork
KOKOMO, Ind. – Gearing Up Girls for STEM, a new program to be offered this summer at Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo, is aimed at middle school girls interested in expanding their scientific knowledge – and having fun while they do it.
Presented by Ivy Tech, in partnership with the FCA US Transmission & Casting Women’s Group, the two-day camp sessions will offer hands-on experiences in physics, biochemistry, engineering, biology, aerodynamics, advanced manufacturing, and virtual reality. Students will participate in activities ranging from hardness testing to polymers, density and emulsification to velocity and trajectory, sound and sound waves to batteries and circuits.
The camp is open to girls going into the sixth to eighth grades. Two sessions of the two-day camp are being offered: June 4 and 5 or June 7 and 8, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. both sessions, in Ivy Tech’s Automotive Technology building at 1942 E. North St. Cost is $20 per student and registration is open by contacting Susan Turrill at sturrill@ivytech.edu or 765-252-5497.
Members of the Transmission & Casting Women’s Group designed the camp’s curriculum and will join Ivy Tech faculty for the two-day sessions. The Women’s Group includes FCA US employees at all levels and specialties including executives, engineers, managers, human resources representatives, and hourly workers, all of whom are committed to expanding opportunities for women in the manufacturing industry. Representatives of the UAW Women’s Group also are supporting the project.
“Our desire is to offer middle school girls exposure to opportunities in STEM,” said Tanya Foutch, Quality Engineering Group Lead for Assembly at FCA US. “We need to bring more women to the STEM table. We do this by starting at an early age through hands-on activities to gain experience to these career options. In terms of the future of technology, the door is wide open and women have a different perspective that adds value and insight.”
This effort comes at a time when the issue of workforce development is at the forefront of economic development discussions in Indiana.
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Service Area