 | | | Lamorinda Tech Trek Campers, from left: Maya, Audrey, Cara, Caroline, Anna, and Morgan. Photo Provided
| | | | | | Thanks to scholarships from Orinda/Moraga/Lafayette (OML) AAUW, six Lamorinda intermediate school students recently returned from their week-long Grace Hopper Tech Trek camp with a renewed sense of enthusiasm about science and math, and shared their stories at a reception September 11 sponsored by the AAUW Tech Trek committee.
The camp, which is designed to encourage seventh- and eighth-grade girls to "persist with their excitement about science and math through high school, college, and into their careers," was held at Stanford University and featured hands-on activities in math and science as well as a chance for the girls to meet professional women in science and math-related fields.
This year, core classes at camp included Oceanography, CSI forensics, 3D Math, and Design Engineering and Physics. Participants built functional robots, made a working model roller coaster from rolled up newspapers, engaged in bridge-building contests using only uncooked spaghetti, attended field trips to medical research laboratories and wildlife preserves, and met numerous professional women scientists and engineers.
One student, Anna, went on a field trip with her forensics class to the world-renowned Stanford Blood Center. "The man who spoke with us created the first FDA approved vaccine for cancer, and his lab was the first lab that screened blood for HIV," she said. Another student, Caroline, said her favorite experience was dissecting a squid with two of her classmates. "We cut up the mantle of the squid and saw all of the internal organs, including the stomach and the ink sac."
Each student was grateful for the opportunity to attend the camp. "I have always wanted to be a scientist," said Maya, "but this has been an eye opener."
AAUW OML is planning a fundraising event, the Walnut Creek Restaurant Walk, from 6 to 9 p.m. October 9 to help raise money for additional Tech Trek scholarships. For information, call Sandy Fox-Sohner at (925) 631-0668.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA