A powerful lineup of women from the STEM industry will be speaking at this year’s camp to encourage young women to pursue STEM careers.
Reno, Nev., August 23, 2019 –With support from Tesla, Sierra Nevada Journeys, is expecting more than 100 young women for an action-packed weekend of hands-on, experiential STEM programming. The second annual Girls in STEM camp will be held this weekend, August 23-25, 2019 at Grizzly Creek Ranch in Portola, California. Additionally, Sierra Nevada Journeys is partnering with Envirolution on this educational experience, and their experts will be leading Friday evening’s engineering challenge for the campers.
This weekend camp event is for girls ages 10 to 14 from low-income* communities in northern Nevada and will focus on energy, sustainability, science and technology, engineering and math, as well as leadership development, communication, collaboration and problem solving.
“This camp wouldn’t be possible without the 25 volunteers and amazing speakers from STEM fields, and of course, Tesla’s education investment with Sierra Nevada Journeys. We aim to provide opportunities for our local kids, and develop and inspire Nevada’s future STEM workforce with this exciting program,” said Sean Hill, Education Director with Sierra Nevada Journeys. On Saturday evening, local guest speakers include women from: Blockchains, LLC; Wood Rodgers, Inc. a western regional engineering firm; Tesla; and Society of Women Engineers, University of Nevada.
Meg VanDeventer, Partner Engagement Lead at Blockchains shared why she is volunteering her time as guest speaker at this year’s Girls in STEM camp. “Fewer than 10 percent of people in the blockchain industry are women; I hope to change that statistic by sharing my experiences with these young women and inspire them on how women are going to rule the future of cryptocurrency.”
VanDeventer, a former Peace Corps volunteer, has consulted on a presidential campaign on cyber security and taught students to code through AmeriCorps. “I wanted to find a way to make a difference by using technology to empower others,” said VanDeventer. “Girls in STEM camp is a perfect forum to make a positive impact on northern Nevada female students.”
The weekend will be packed with lots of hands-on activities, outdoor exploration, and experience on Sierra Nevada Journeys’ famous high ropes challenge course.
Funding for this camp comes from Tesla as part of their $37.5 million investment in Nevada’s K-12 STEM and Sustainability Education initiative through the Nevada Department of Education Gift Fund.
