What could be better than science summer camp? A science summer camp field trip to The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology. On Friday, the institute was pleased to host 42 eighth-grade girls participating in Tech Trek Florida, a project of the American Association of University Women.
“The goal is to give them a high-level STEM experience with the idea that they will have the confidence to enroll in upper-level science and math classes in high school and beyond,” said Cheryl Huey, director of the program.
The eighth graders heard from Wertheim UF Scripps postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and interns studying a variety of aspects of health and disease. They described research projects on brain cancer, viral infections and more. Then, the eighth graders tried their hands at science techniques like pipetting and examining brain tissue under the microscope. An educator from the neighboring Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience joined in the demonstrations, offering the students a lesson on why fruit flies are used for neuroscience research.
The camp participants were nominated by their schools’ science, technology, engineering and math teachers, and were selected for the program based on essays and applications, Huey said. The students’ families pay just $50 for a week at the TechTrek camp, which is funded by donations. Students from about 30 middle schools statewide joined TechTrek Florida’s Jupiter camp, staying in dormitories at Florida Atlantic University. The state’s other camp is based at Stetson University, she added.
“It’s all about the mission to help girls be exposed to careers in STEM,” Huey said.
Field trips like Tech Trek’s visit to The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute are made possible through the institute’s Glenn W. Bailey STEM Education and Outreach Programs, said Rosie Albarran Zeckler, Ph.D., education outreach coordinator for The Wertheim UF Scripps Institute.
“Training the next generation of scientists is an important part of our mission, and we’re grateful to the Glenn W. Bailey Foundation for helping us expose more students to research careers,” Albarran Zeckler said.