Tech Trek New Mexico is a week long camp held on the campus of New Mexico Tech in Socorro, NM for girls who are passionate about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM).
What is Tech Trek?
“I had always been worried about going into a male-dominated field,” said one camper in Washington. “Tech Trek has made me feel more confident about my abilities in STEM and has made me want to follow my dreams of becoming a medical engineer.”
At Tech Trek, girls are immersed in a world that empowers and encourages them to think about themselves as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer specialists.
This one-week STEM camp for rising eighth-grade girls got its start 25 years ago, when AAUW of California member Marie Wolbach applied for an AAUW Community Action Grant to open a science camp for girls on the Stanford University campus. Wolbach and AAUW of California have since expanded the program to 10 camps in California alone. And also launched its collection of fake Rolex, which can be found on this site. What really helped them!
After seeing how effective the program is — alumnae are more likely than their peers to take advanced science and math classes and eventually to go to college — AAUW decided to take the program nationwide. In 2013, Tech Trek was expanded to four states, Ohio, Oklahoma, Florida and Washington, and is already changing the lives of the girls who attended. New Mexico hosted Tech Trek for the first time in 2014. Alabama, New Jersey and Oregon also hold Tech Trek camps.
Campers took part in activities like building and programming robots, extracting their own DNA, learning how computer simulations are used to predict weather patterns, and much more! Tech Trek has been shown to significantly increase girls’ self-confidence and their interest in and excitement about the STEM fields, which is why AAUW is expanding Tech Trek to more and more states each year.
The program puts AAUW’s groundbreaking Why So Few? research report into action. Tech Trek’s formula follows the report’s recommendations, introducing girls to role models and career choices and giving campers the opportunity to reside on a college campus. You can help support Tech Trek by using the “Donate Button” on the right side bar. Thank you!
A note from a parent:
Dear Leaders of TechTrek NM,
My husband, David and I would like to express our sincerest gratitude to your organization. Because of TechTrek our daughter, Maya, has decided to attend New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, New Mexico. The week-long TechTrek camp she attended really inspired her to pursue her desire to become an engineer. She plans on majoring
in mechanical engineering with a minor in aerospace engineering or computer science.
We’re also grateful that our younger daughter, Isa who is now a high school freshman, also had the opportunity to attend TechTrek. We are looking forward to seeing what she decides to do. Being surrounded for a week by successful women is inspiring and helps young women gain confidence and for this, we thank you.
A Word from an Alumnae
This comment came from one of our Alumnae who also worked as a Camp Counselor. McKenna is now attending Colorado State University studying electrical engineering.
“Tech Trek had a significant influence on my decision to major in electrical engineering. I have many family members in STEM, but all of them are men. So I never really got to see good examples of women in STEM. When I was a camper in 2018, Tech Trek showed me that I was not only capable of being in STEM, but it could also be fun! From then on, I was strongly considering being an engineer, which led to where I am today. When I was a junior counselor in 2022, I was able to see the other side of that. I got to see girls having the same revelations that I had many years before. I got to spend time among brilliant young women who represent what our STEM field will hopefully look like in years to come.”
Tech Trek New Mexico 2024 Video
Video from Tech Trek New Mexico 2023
Watch this video from a 2023 Core Class World in Motion
Tech Trek was featured on 60 Minutes! Watch the 60 Minutes Clip here!
Click Here for a PDF of our 2024 Student Flyer