Abstract
“Future Girls of STEM” is a university-sponsored, summer camp outreach program that was designed and implemented by an all-female faculty group to increase young girls’ interest in pursuing future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This paper discusses the logistics and results of the pilot Future Girls of STEM camp, which was held in the summer of 2019 for seven to twelve-year-old girls. The four-day summer camp featured female engineers from local industry, who shared personal stories of their careers and helped campers work through engineering and leadership activities. Researchers assessed whether completing the activities increased participants’ understanding of, interest in, and self-efficacy in engineering topics, majors, and careers. Results showed an increased interest and self-reported understanding of engineering topics after participants completed the camp, as well as high self-efficacy throughout the camp experience. The Future Girls of STEM program, and its hands-on, interactive activities, can be transferred to other locations or universities with varying resources available.