Using technology summer camp to stimulate the interest of female high school students in technology careers

Increasing the pool of qualified workers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) areas has become one of the nation's key priorities, as those professions are the backbone of innovation and critical to our country's economic future. The 2015 Females in Technology (FiT) Summer Boot Camp project was a summer residential technology boot camp for low income rising high school junior and senior girls. The objective of the 2015 Summer FiT boot camp was to increase the number of low income female students who pursue degrees in technology disciplines at the collegiate level and who are prepared for a technologically rich workforce. As a recruitment tool, we anticipate increasing the enrollment of female students in the School of Technology. The methodology for the FiT Boot Camp was a short-term intensive hands-on experience which was the first of its kind at NCA&T. The preliminary results have been more than promising. The pre and post-test surveys indicate a positive trend in terms of knowledge gained, interest, and attitude towards technology. Not only did this program stimulate interest in the technology profession, it also introduced female students to new and innovative technology concepts while reinforcing and improving technology and leadership skills.