The Northern Nevada Girls Math & Technology Camp, a program of the University of Nevada, Reno's College of Education, introduced a new event for campers this week. The camp, aimed at giving northern Nevada middle school girls from a variety of backgrounds an opportunity to increase their knowledge and skills in math in order to help engage them in skills necessary to succeed in STEM fields, has introduced a lunch dedicated to campers interacting with mentors in a more personal way. During this lunch mentors shared their career stories, and the girls were able to ask mentors about their work.

The camp serves 60 seventh and eighth grade girls from across northern Nevada that are split into two classes and work within their grade level grouping. The classes work on geometry, algebra and learning about female role models in mathematics as well as technology use to support math learning. Girls stay at the University and the camp runs through Friday, July 22.

What attendees are saying:

Aliza Davis, eighth grade
Clayton Middle School, Reno

"It's been great. We've been learning new strategies for math that I can use throughout the year. I'm meeting a lot of new girls and spending time with them. And being independent in dorms and learning how to be by myself without parents and stuff like that. Getting to meet new girls has been my favorite part, and getting to go places with them."

Rachel Updike, eighth grade
Battle Mountain Junior High, Battle Mountain

"It's actually been really fun. When I came last year, we had a great time. We laughed and ran around and had fun. I know it's important to me because I actually went up two years in my math class. It's more important to understand the material and be able to work harder in your classes as well."

Sage Rutledge, eighth grade
Pine Middle School, Reno

"It's important because girls don't get to be proven a lot. We just think that we have to do the chores or take care of the kids, but girls can do a lot of stuff with math and it's helpful for us."

Taylor Corbitt, eighth grade
Carson Valley Middle School, Gardnerville

"I've had a really good experience. You need math to do all of the jobs, there's not one job out there that doesn't involve math."

What mentors are saying:
Rhonda Zuraff, mentor
Director, Communications & External Relations at Newmont Mining

"We have several missions for being involved in this camp. One is the fact that we are a science, STEM-based employer. It's critical that we are raising and developing and educating the future STEM professionals that can enter the industry. By doing so, we will be beneficiaries of those people when they graduate and move into their careers. Second to that, we believe just supporting a well-rounded, educated work force, whether they come into mining or not, it is healthy for our communities. And thirdly, and directly related to the design of the program, we have, as many employers do, a targeted goal of growing females in our work force."

Lynda Wiest, program director
Professor of Mathematics Education and Educational Equity

"Research indicates there is a middle school drop, where girls start opting out of STEM disciplines. The camp targets students before that gap to increase interest and make sure these students don't make a choice to drop out of something they may, in fact, be interested in and good at and that may serve them well in their personal life and future occupation."