Second annual girls STEM summer camp set at Ivy Tech Kokomo

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Last Updated on May 13, 2019 by cassnetwork

UPDATED MAY 13, 2019:

KOKOMO, Ind. – The deadline to register for this year’s Gearing Up Girls for STEM summer camp at Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo has been extended to May 22. The camp, designed for girls going into the sixth to eighth grades, offers great opportunities for campers to have fun and expand their knowledge in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Presented by the FCA US Transmission & Casting Women’s Group, in partnership with Ivy Tech, the two-day camp sessions offered hands-on experiences in subjects ranging from anatomy to material science, rockets to robots, and design of experiments to food science fun.

Two sessions are being offered: June 3 and 4 or June 6 and 7, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Ivy Tech’s Automotive Technology building at 1942 E. North St. Cost is $25 per student, which includes breakfast and lunch both camp days, with a $5 discount for returning students. Parents and guardians can sign up campers by contacting Susan Turrill at sturrill@ivytech.edu or 765-252-5497 by May 22.

The program, in its second year, is expanding with the support of FCA, UAW Local 1302, UAW Local 685 Retirees, UAW 685 Women’s Group, Ironmonger Spring, Mahar Tool Supply, Button Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, First Farmers Bank, St. Vincent Kokomo, Haynes International, Caron & Jones Dental Care, Harvey Performance, Indiana Pit Martial Arts and Fitness, Security Federal Savings Bank, and Solidarity Federal Credit Union. 

The program, in its second year, is expanding with the support of FCA, UAW Local 1302, UAW Local 685 Retirees, UAW 685 Women’s Group, Ironmonger Spring, Mahar Tool Supply, Button Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, First Farmers Bank, St. Vincent Kokomo, Haynes International, Caron & Jones Dental Care, Harvey Performance, Indiana Pit Martial Arts and Fitness, Security Federal Savings Bank, and Solidarity Federal Credit Union. 

ORIGINAL POST:

KOKOMO, Ind. – Gearing Up Girls for STEM, a program aimed at middle school girls interested in having fun and expanding their knowledge in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, is set for a second season at Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo.

Presented by the FCA US Transmission & Casting Women’s Group, in partnership with Ivy Tech, last year’s two-day camp sessions offered hands-on experiences in physics, biochemistry, engineering, biology, aerodynamics, advanced manufacturing, and virtual reality. This year students will participate in activities ranging from anatomy to material science, rockets to robots, and design of experiments to food science fun.

The camp is open to girls going into the sixth to eighth grades. Two sessions of the two-day camp are being offered: June 3 and 4 or June 6 and 7, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Ivy Tech’s Automotive Technology building at 1942 E. North St. Cost is $25 per student, which includes breakfast and lunch both camp days, with a $5 discount for returning students. Registration opens April 1 and parents and guardians can sign up campers 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 is made up of FCA US employees at all levels and specialties including executives, engineers, managers, and human resources representatives, all of whom are committed to expanding opportunities for women in the manufacturing industry. Representatives of the UAW Women’s Group are also supporting the project.

“Our first camps last year were very successful and we are excited to expand on those offerings with some new activities this year,” said Tanya Foutch, Quality Engineering Group Lead for Assembly at FCA US. “We love introducing girls to the possibilities of pursuing a STEM career. It is important for them to see women, who were once curious little girls just like them, working in various STEM fields. We believe by exposing them to STEM activities in middle school, they will be ready to participate in Ivy Tech’s Integrated Technology Education Program and other similar programs in high school. This will prepare them for the STEM pursuit in college. 

“With interesting, entertaining, hands-on activities, we can encourage interest at an early age,” Foutch continued. “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 continues to be at the forefront of economic development discussions in Indiana.

Foutch said the program is expanding this year with the support of FCA, UAW Local 1302, UAW Local 685 Retirees, UAW 685 Women’s Group, Ironmonger Spring, Mahar Tool Supply, Button Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, First Farmers Bank, St. Vincent Kokomo, Haynes International, Caron & Jones Dental Care, Harvey Performance, Indiana Pit Martial Arts and Fitness, Security Federal Savings Bank, and Solidarity Federal Credit Union.

SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Region

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