For many kids here in Western Wisconsin, summer means time off of school, a break from the text books and a chance to head to summer camp.
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But one camp in Dunn County is a little different from the rest: it's offering middle schoolers the chance to take classes and learn hands-on about math and science, while having fun.
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It's called STEPS, and more than 100 girls from all over the Midwest are taking part.
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STEPS stands for: Science, Technology, and Engineering Preview.
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It's a camp designed specifically for girls entering seventh grade in the fall, to encourage them to enter the fields of science and engineering.
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*cg n2line rebecca messer
Steps director, uw-stout professor
"There is a very large shortage of engineers in our country," said STEPS director and UW-Stout Physics Professor Rebecca Messer. "A whole half of the population that hasn't thought about engineering as a choice. So we want more engineers and more female engineers. And 7th grade, that's when they can start to make choices about their future."
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STEPS is a week-long camp, complete with classes, tours of factories, and hands-on activities.
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The entire camp centers around this: a small, motor-powered boat.
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The girls start from scratch, using power tools and raw materials to shape, manufacture and create the doll-sized boats.
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Program Director Rebecca Messer says it's all about helping the girls gain confidence, while exploring career paths they may not have thought about.
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"I really enjoyed making the plastic bottom and top," said Susie Marks, a camper from Boyceville. "It was just a flat piece of plastic."
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"I think I want to do it when I grow up," said Megan Helland, a camper from Chippewa Falls.
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The camp is in its eleventh year at UW-Stout, but this is the first year the girls are making boats.
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Directors say the program was so popular, they created an advanced camp for girls in tenth grade.