Spring break camp develops future female engineers, scientists

Kalese Hoggard is spending part of her spring break back in the classroom, but she's not learning from books. She's working with a team of students to build rockets and robots at Walker Career Center.

It's fun, she said, but there's a more important reason: "Women engineers — we need more of them. And I'm going to be one. Or a neurologist," she said.

Kalese is among 20 eighth-grade girls from Stonybrook, Raymond Park and Creston middle schools in Warren Township who are participating in Gateway Academy STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Camp.

Project Lead The Way, an Indianapolis-based national nonprofit offering a comprehensive approach to STEM education, developed the Gateway Academy curriculum as a way to introduce math, science and engineering principles in a fun atmosphere. The camp is offered at more than 100 schools across the country.

By hosting a girls-only event, Warren Township is hoping to nudge more females into STEM fields.

"Girls are not pushed into math and science fields," said Steve Rogers, the camp instructor and department chairman for engineering and technology education at Walker Career Center. "They seem to be pushed into humanities, and that's OK, but they're perfectly capable of moving into these careers, as well."

They also offer a different perspective and often have better solutions to design problems, he said.

"So many of our girls really want to help people. We can show them that they can be a biomedical engineer and design prosthetics that help soldiers, help people with lost limbs," he said.

By offering the four-day camp to eighth-grade girls over spring break, Rogers hopes to "hook them early" and get them registered for beginning engineering and technology classes in high school.

Currently, the male-female ratio in the engineering/technology program at Warren Central High School is about 76 percent male to 24 percent female, he said. In college, the female percentage in the sciences declines further to about 14 percent.

Jaidy Hernandez is a senior at Warren Central and is volunteering as a mentor to the eighth-graders for the fourth year.

"I've seen a lot of girls come through the camp; some of those I've mentored are working as mentors now, too, so that's neat to see," Hernandez said as the students collaborated on designing and building water rockets Wednesday.

She was inspired to enroll in engineering courses as a freshman after attending a Women in Engineering Breakfast at the Career Center, 9651 E. 21st St. After graduation, she plans to attend IUPUI, then transfer to Purdue University to study mechanical or electrical engineering.

Ariana Cripe couldn't wait to become a mentor in the program. The high school junior hopes to study architecture in college.

"When I found out I could work the camp, I was so excited that I could give another girl the opportunity I had when I went through," she said. "It impacted me a lot."

Call Star reporter Maureen Gilmer at (317) 444-6879. Follow her on Twitter: @MaureenCGilmer.