Schools

Belmont Student One of Six Selected for Stanford Science Camp

'Tech Trek,' sponsored by the local AAUW, will be held at the Palo Alto university in late July, and features six local young women.

Tech Trek, a weeklong camp dedicated to boosting interest in the fields of math and science for middle school girls, has selected six local students for this year’s camp, including a Belmont resident.

The camp, now in its 14th year, will be held on the campus of Stanford University from July 17-23.

Among those students is Belmont’s own Alex Singer from , who will be joined by Michelle Adler of Kennedy Middle School, Alyssa Giacomoni of McKinley Institute of Technology, Alejandra Sanchez from Garfield School in Redwood City, Rebecca Schulz of Central Middle School and Aria Frangos of Tierra Linda Middle School in San Carlos.

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Tech Trek, designed for girls making the transition from seventh to eighth grade, provides an opportunity for young girls, recommended by their middle school teachers, to live on Stanford’s campus for a week and, according Tech Trek’s website, receive instruction from “women currently engaged professionally in math, science, or technology fields,” in addition to middle school instructors.

The American Association of College Women “did a survey nationally, and they found that girls, when they get to the seventh and eighth grade, their interest in science and math dropped dramatically, unlike boys,” said Etty Korengold, former longstanding chairperson for the San Carlos, Belmont and Redwood City Branch of the AAUW, which sponsors Tech Trek.

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Once teachers recommend their students, each young girl must apply for Tech Trek, an application process which requires a personal interview, as well as an essay.

“The program was developed and designed to foster young women’s interest in science, because a lot of young girls lose their interest in science, yet they’re infinitely capable kids,” said Jean Dehner, who will be following in Korengold's footsteps as the newly appointed chairperson. “The goal of Tech Trek is to foster that interest by providing this week long camp at Stanford.”

According to Dehner and the Tech Trek website, exposure to career opportunities for women in science is the key, especially at a young age, when middle school girls often encounter youthful distractions.

“Having been a school administrator and science teacher, giving girls an opportunity to pursue an area of interest is really important, so we have young women headed for careers in science and math,” Dehner said.

AAUW does its part to sponsor each of these young women, namely in the fundraising department.

Tech Trek clocks in at $800 per student, but according to Dehner, students are not allowed to simply pay for the camp. Instead, local residents and local organizations, such as the Kiwanis Club of San Carlos, support Tech Trek with their donations, providing each girl with a scholarship to participate in the summer program.

If you would like to donate to the Tech Trek program, send your donations to:

Kathy Rafael
7 West 41st Ave.
PMB 512
San Mateo, CA 94403

Checks should be made out to: CA-AAUW SPF (Special Projects Fund)

Visit www.aauw-techtrek.org for more information.


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