Opportunity for Girls to Gain an Advantage in STEM Education with Over 100 Scholarships Awarded to Leading, Co-ed, Summer Tech Program (iD Tech Camps)
(PRWEB) March 19, 2014 -- iD Tech, the national leader in summer STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) education for kids and teens, is spearheading a movement to engage more girls in technology and engineering. With a new scholarship campaign, the company will send over 100 girls for free this summer to iD Tech Camps, its flagship, week-long, co-ed tech program for ages 7-17. Programs are held at over 80 universities nationwide.
Acknowledging the prevalent gender gap in STEM fields, iD Tech aims to balance the scales and prepare more girls for a projected 1 million open STEM jobs by 2020 (according to code.org).
“Women currently make up only 14% of Computer Science undergrads—too often we associate all things techie with boys and men,” explains Alexa Ingram-Cauchi, President and Co-Founder of iD Tech. “If males code and design the majority of the world’s technologies, everything will have a male perspective.”
Last summer, over 3,000 girls attended iD Tech programs. In the company’s 16th season, girls’ enrollment is up across the board from previous years. Not only are more girls attending iD Tech—the company is actively helping to bridge the STEM gender gap by sending over 100 girls to iD Tech Camps for free this summer.
Scholarship applications for girls open March 17th to April 21st at iDTech.com/girls. Girls ages 7-17 who’ll be living in the United States this summer are eligible to apply.
The scholarship campaign is an initiative that stems from the launch of the company’s new all-girl tech program, Alexa Café. Alexa Café is a week-long day program which starts this summer at Palo Alto High School in Silicon Valley, and is open for girls ages 10-14.
According to Ingram-Cauchi, providing scholarships to iD Tech Camps makes it easier for girls nationwide to engage in STEM. The program is held in 28 states at over 80 prestigious universities including Stanford, Yale, Princeton, American, NYU, UPenn, and others universities nationwide.
At all iD Tech programs, students collaborate and create in small class sizes with just 8 students per instructor. Girls and boys of all skill levels learn from hip, tech-savvy staff, meet friends with similar interests, and build vital 21st century skills centered around problem-solving, critical thinking, innovation, and creativity. Students choose from over 40 courses in programming, Minecraft, app development, game design, robotics, film, photography, and more, ultimately discovering how their interests can lead to college and a meaningful career.
About iD Tech
iD Tech engages students ages 7-18 in STEM education with co-ed summer programs held at over 80 prestigious universities nationwide, including Stanford, UC Berkeley, Princeton, Yale, and others. iD Tech Camps provides week-long day and overnight sessions for ages 7-17. There are also 2-week, pre-college, immersive teen academies for ages 13-18: iD Programming Academy, iD Game Design & Development Academy, and iD Film Academy. iD Tech 365 provides all ages a year-round online learning platform with tutorials, forums, and contests. The new Alexa Café, held at Palo Alto High School, offers week-long day programs for girls ages 10-14, emphasizing leadership, tech, and philanthropy. Visit iDTech.com or call 1-888-709-TECH (8324).
Karen Thurm Safran, iD Tech Camps, http://www.iDTech.com, 408-666-8353, [email protected]
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