News Releases

WPI's Camp Reach, An Award-Winning Engineering Program For Girls, Turns 10

This Month, 30 Girls in the Residential Summer Program Will Complete Engineering Design Projects That Will Make a Difference For Three Worcester-Area NonProfit Organizations

For Immediate Release / July 06, 2006
Contact: Lorraine U. Martinelle, Public Relations Specialist, +1-508-831-6425, lurbans@wpi.edu
             Eileen Brangan Mell, Director of Public Relations, +1-508-831-6785, ebmell@wpi.edu

WORCESTER, Mass. - Camp Reach, the award-winning science and engineering summer program for rising seventh-grade girls, celebrates its 10th anniversary at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) this month with engineering design projects that will see young girls developing creative solutions to problems faced by three Worcester organizations: how to create an accessible trail and bridge for Broad Meadow Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, how to best beautify the landscape at the Friendly House emergency shelter, and how to create a playground appropriate for the clients of Sherry's House/Why Me, which provides support for families dealing with childhood cancer.

Camp Reach, which this year runs from July 23 to August 4 on the WPI campus, was founded in 1997 by Denise Nicoletti, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at WPI, and Chrysanthe Demetry, associate professor of mechanical engineering, with a grant from the National Science Foundation. After Nicoletti died in a car accident 2002, the program was continued under Demetry's direction, with the assistance of other WPI faculty and staff members.

In all, about 270 girls have completed the Camp Reach program. Nearly 30 middle school math and science teachers have served as instructors, learning more about career opportunities in science, math, and engineering and gaining new insight into the engineering design cycle, which is part of the Massachusetts Science/Technology Curriculum Framework. In addition, 50 area high school students-about half Camp Reach alumnae-have served as staff members.

In 2003, the Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network, a national nonprofit organization of over 600 individuals representing nearly 200 engineering schools, Fortune 500 corporations, and nonprofit organizations, bestowed its Women in Engineering Program Award on Camp Reach, honoring the program for its role in encouraging young women in engineering and science and for serving as an outstanding model program. The Camp Reach model was recently followed by organizers of Camp Success, a day camp for rising 7th and 8th grade girls and boys in South Carolina, which held its inaugural week-long sessions earlier this summer.

"The evidence is mounting," Demetry notes, "that Camp Reach is a milestone experience that contributes to young women's interest and confidence in pursuing engineering and science majors in college."

Camp Reach has benefited from significant corporate and foundation support through the years. This year's sponsors include 3M Corporation, the Albert W. Rice Charitable Foundation, AstraZeneca International, Bose Corporation, the Cardinal Brook Trust, IBM Corporation, Intel Corporation, Teradyne Inc., and WPI alumni and friends.

A summer residential program for Massachusetts girls with an interest in learning more about science and engineering careers, Camp Reach exposes participants to science and engineering concepts through discovery workshops and field trips, and gives them the chance to apply what they learn as they complete hands-on community service projects. This summer, students will pursue the following projects:

"These design projects represent a great partnership between WPI and nonprofits in Worcester," Demetry says. "Girls use the engineering design process to respond to real needs in our community, and they are empowered when adults listen to and follow through on their recommendations."

The project teams will meet with their sponsors on Tuesday, July 25, from 1:30-2:30 p.m., to learn about the specifications and constraints of the projects (Worcester City Councilor Barbara Haller '83 and former City Counciller Dennis Irish are scheduled to attend the meeting at Friendly House). They will spend the next few days gathering information and developing preliminary solutions.

On Monday, July 31, at approximately 1:30 p.m., the teams will visit their sponsors again to present their ideas and get feedback. The girls will then develop their final proposals, including budgets, parts lists, sketches, and schematics, and make presentations to the sponsors during the Camp Reach Closing Ceremonies on Friday, Aug. 4, starting at 3:30 p.m., in Olin Hall at WPI.

The 2006 Camp Reach design projects will likely join many others that have made a difference to for more than 20 local agencies and organizations since 1997. Here are some notable examples from the past two years:

For more information on Camp Reach and this year's engineering design projects, visit their Web site, or call 508-831-5819 or 774-242-7356 (cell).

About Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Founded in 1865 in Worcester, Mass., WPI was one of the nation's first engineering and technology universities. WPI's 18 academic departments offer more than 50 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science, engineering, technology, management, the social sciences, and the humanities and arts, leading to the BA, BS, MS, ME, MBA and PhD. WPI's world-class faculty work with students in a number of cutting-edge research areas, leading to breakthroughs and innovations in such fields as biotechnology, fuel cells, nanotechnology, and information security. Students also have the opportunity to make a difference to communities and organizations around the world through the university's innovative Global Perspective Program. There are more than 20 WPI project centers throughout North America and Central America, Africa, Australia, Asia, and Europe.