Project STEP: creating positive experiences for future scientists

To address the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the fields of science and engineering, the University of Texas Science and Technology Center (UT STC) implemented several outreach programs for students at the K-12 level. The goal is to create strong, positive science experiences for students at an age when scientific foundations and attitudes are still being established. Project STEP (Science and Technology Enrichment Program) is a summer day camp targeting rising seventh and eighth graders. It has two two-week sessions, one that accommodates twenty boys and one for twenty girls. The focus of the camp roughly parallels that of the Center: the synthesis, growth and analysis of electronic materials. Throughout the two weeks, the campers spend much of their time in a chemistry laboratory on the UT campus, participating in hands-on science experiments which emphasize semiconductor related concepts such as purity levels, chemical etching, and conduction versus insulation. Each day is structured around a different theme, starting with scientific method, working through powers of ten and patterns, and building up to transistors and a career day. On the last day, Parent's Day, the campers present their scientific findings.