BVU Hosts more than 30 Girls, 2 locals, at AAUW Tech Trek Camp

STORM LAKE — Buena Vista University (BVU) hosted a week-long Tech Trek STEM camp on June 24-30 for more than 30 seventh grade girls. Locals Jaden Fairbanks and Jillian Fairbanks were among the attendees.

Tech Trek is a program of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) designed to help encourage girls to investigate careers in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields. The camp featured hands-on science and technology classes, educational field trips, opportunities to meet women role models, and a unique BVU college campus experience.

“Through the BVU Tech Trek Iowa STEM program, we have been privileged to work with such outstanding young women scientists over the past three years, and this year was no exception,” said Dr. Melinda Coogan, camp director and professor of biology at BVU. “The faculty and staff were all incredibly impressed with the intellectual curiosity and genuine expressions of gratitude articulated by this year’s group of students. We look forward to seeing where these young scientists go following the program and how they use their many gifts to continue making our world a better place.”

Specifically, this year’s attendees visited Allete Clean Energy Wind Farm and Buena Vista County Conservation Park, explored and utilized Storm Lake, and took part in team activities such as kayaking, soccer, and volleyball. Classes included a cyber security hacking class, an app creation class, an alternative energy workshop, and a DNA extraction workshop. The week concluded with a science fair that featured posters about what the girls had accomplished throughout the camp.

This year also marked the first time three previous BVU Tech Trek camp attendees were invited back to take part in the program as junior counselors. They included Sammie Jackson of Coon Rapids, Addie Wood of Dows City, and Evie AlSaffar of Storm Lake. The junior counselors attended BVU’s first-ever Tech Trek camp in 2016 and will be sophomores in high school in the fall.

“I loved attending Tech Trek as a camper a couple years back,” said Wood. “It was incredibly rewarding having the opportunity to return this year and get to know the girls as a mentor.”

There is a strong demand for skilled STEM professionals. Tech Trek is a crucial program to prepare and empower the next generation of girls to go into these fields and increase the science and technology talent pool.