G.A.M.E.S. Camp gives girls a taste of engineering and college life

For the 167 high school girls who attended G.A.M.E.S. camp the week of July 15–19, College of Engineering folk ranging from professors, to students, to even alumni, pulled out all the stops to showcase their disciplines and to communicate this truth: Engineering isn't just for boys anymore.

In summer 2013, G.A.M.E.S. (Girls' Adventures in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science) camp increased the number of girls served; the 167 who attended the week-long camp was up from 143 in 2012. While most of the girls were from Illinois, three international students participated this summer: two from China and one from Colombia.

The number of tracks offered also increased. To the seven already-existing tracks, the camp added two new ones: Computer Science and
G-BAM (Girls Building Awesome Machines), a Mechanical Engineering track. The nine tracks (see below) gave girls the option of sampling a wide range of engineering disciplines:

• 

  Aerospace Engineering
• Bioengineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Computer Science/App Development
• Computer Science/Robotics
• Environmental Engineering and Sustainability
• G-BAM: Girls Building Awesome Machines
• GLAM: Girls Learning About Materials
• GLEE: Girls Learning Electrical Engineering

When asked whether the College of Engineering hopes to steer the girls into engineering, STEM careers, or to Illinois, Camp Director Angie Wolters is quick to reply: "All the above."

"Our hope is to get the girls here and get them exposed to some really great experiences in STEM," Wolters adds. "We also want them to see what the College of Engineering has to offer, and how they relate that to their STEM education and career possibilities in engineering. That's why we have the engineering tracks. But also to learn about Illinois. This is a recruiting activity, besides just being an overall wonderful experience for the girls."

In addition to being exposed to academics, the girls also learned about the admissions process. During a panel discussion, they learned about the other engineering disciplines available, plus extracurricular activities, and study-abroad opportunities. G.A.M.E.S. planners intentionally included these activities to give the girls a well-rounded experience.

"With the girls coming and choosing a track to learn about during the week," acknowledges Wolters, "they're really exposed to that one facet. This is our opportunity to get them exposure to the other engineering disciplines as well." For girls who attended G.A.M.E.S., the camp was also a one-week trial period to see what being a college student at Illinois is like.

Chicago camper Stephanie Smithson, who is interested in Computer Science, agrees. A G.A.M.E.S. alumnus, Smithson so thoroughly enjoyed the Robotics camp in 2012 that she signed up for G-BAM this year. (The CS camp is for juniors and seniors; Smithson is a rising sophomore.) While she appreciates the social aspect of the camp and enjoys meeting girls with similar interests, she reports that the real benefit is giving high school students a taste of what college is like.

"It's like a college experience within a week," says Smithson. "You get to try new things, and it's not a lot of pressure. You don't have to get every answer correct; you don't have to understand everything; but it's an introduction to what you want to do; and if you don't like something, that's ok, because you have four years to decide what you want to do."

Maggie Corbett is a rising sophomore who likes math and science and likes to design things. Regarding her experience at camp, Corbett replies, "It's been fun!" She acknowledges that she wants to be an engineer, but is not sure which discipline.

"I don't know," responds Corbett. "That's kind of why I did mechanical, 'cause you can try everything."

Graduate student Laurie Rustom loves her work so much that she served as a counselor in GAMES with the goal of imparting her love for Bioengineering to the next generation of girls:

"Actually, it's really a great experience to be able to pass on your passion for what you're doing," says Rustom. "So I really think it's important to tell girls that they can succeed in STEM disciplines and basically just to share my own experience and to be able to teach it to younger people."

Rustom also hoped to impart to the girls the diverse nature of engineering.

"I work in bioengineering, and I study bone regeneration. So when people think of engineering, they don't necessarily think of that part of engineering. They think more about building cars and machines.

"But really, engineering is very diverse, and it calls a lot of different expertise from different fields. So it's kind of important to show this part of engineering too."

Will any of the girls Rustom worked with this summer in G.A.M.E.S. end up in STEM careers?

"Definitely," predicts the bioengineering grad student. "There is a lot of potential. Most of these girls seem interested, and they seem to like math and sciences. Probably, I would say most of them would go into engineering."
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Story and photos: Elizabeth Innes, Communications Specialist, I-STEM Education Initiative.

For additional I-STEM articles about 2013 G.A.M.E.S. camp, see:

• G.A.M.E.S. Camp Seeks to Navigate Girls into Aerospace Engineering
• Environmental Engineering G.A.M.E.S. Encourages Girls to Think/Design Green

If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, editor, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-7716.