The Summer of GEE

Hello everyone! As the school year continues, the West TN STEM Hub is looking into the future to prepare for the amazing summer camps. One such summer camp that the West TN STEM Hub creates is GEE. As a STEM Ambassador, I was excited to help out with GEE or Girls Experiencing Engineering for a week during the summer. It was such an amazing experience to introduce these girls to the different avenues of science and engineering.

In the mornings, middle school girls came streaming into the campus. Some were ready to learn while others were ready to return to bed, but everyone was excited to be there. We worked on various projects in the morning including the basics of biomedical, civil, and electrical engineering. The girls created a leg prosthetic prototype for amputees one day and protected an egg from a considerable drop the next. We even finished up the week learning about the differences in circuit wiring.

In the afternoons, elementary school girls flew in for their own chance to make prosthetics, egg protectors, bridges, airplanes, and circuits. Through the camp, several of the girls became proficient at using the Sphero Bolts from the Lending Library, making them fly down the halls and weave between obstacles. Even though the days were long, seeing the girls’ faces light up with curiosity made it all worth it.

Some of the girls came into the camp knowing that they wanted to be engineers, and I have no doubt they will be amazing. However, other girls had no experience with different engineering specialties, and as a STEM Ambassador, I was able to introduce them to my world of engineering and circuits. I love being a STEM Ambassador because I can show kids the wonderful world of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.