Engineering and technology focus of camp for 1,000 girls
2004-6-2

Forget about braiding lanyards or telling stories around the campfire. For more than 1,000 middle school girls around the world, camp this summer means focusing on technology and engineering. Dubbed EXITE (Exploring Interest in Technology and Engineering), the week-long sessions will take place in 37 IBM locations ranging from the U.S. and the Netherlands to Thailand, India and Japan.

¡°We know that once girls get to middle school they are less likely to take the math and science courses that will enable them to pursue engineering and technical degrees when they go to college,¡± says Janet Perna, general manager, Data Management Solutions, IBM¡¯s Software Group. ¡°Our goal with the EXITE camps is to introduce the girls to women who are making important contributions in technology and engineering and to let them know that the industry is looking forward to a new generation of women who will lend us their expertise.¡±

The EXITE curriculum is far from theoretical. Participants will have the opportunity to build hand-powered flashlights and fire extinguishers, direct and produce their own movies using digital equipment, explore weather-related technology and conduct forensic experiments. More than 2,000 IBMers will be EXITE camp volunteers ¨C developing, coordinating and overseeing such activities as web-page design, computer chip design, laser optics, animation, robotics, and working with computer hardware and software.

¡°It was at the EXITE camp that I learned how cool science could be,¡± said Katie Dreeland who attended an EXITE camp in Tucson last year.

Learn more:

IBM EXITE Camps Take Girls on Technology Tour (press release)

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