MARIPOSA AAUW HAS CHOSEN THREE ATTENDEES AND TWO ALTERNATES FOR ITS TECH TREK PROGRAM. PICTURED ABOVE, FROM LEFT, ARE AAUW PRESIDENT COURTNEY ROBERTS, HONOREES MIKAYLA BURGESS, TRICIA ARMON AND NATALIE MARQUEZ; ALTERNATES MACKENZIE SHADDIX AND DANIELLE LEPPERT SIMENAUER AND TECH TREK COORDINATOR SHEELAH GEHRING. Three local Mariposa Middle School students, Mikayla Burgess, Tricia Armon, and Natalie Marquez, have been awarded scholarships to get a preview of college life while learning that math and science can be a fun challenge. The girls will attend Tech Trek Math/Science Camp for Girls, a summer program for incoming eighth grade girls sponsored by the American Association of University Women (AAUW.)

Students are nominated by teachers to attend the science, math and technology camp and selected by a panel of AAUW members. They will live on the campus of Fresno State University for a week this summer. This year, the three Tech Trek scholarships are being provided by the Mariposa branch of AAUW and the Tavis Corporation.

Classes are taught by excellent, experienced, credentialed teachers featuring hands-on experiments. Women who are professionals in the fields of math, science and technology will be guest presenters. Highlighting the activities will be a field trip to the Challenger Space Center in Atwater. AAUW volunteers serve as camp directors nurses and chaperones. Past Tech Trekkers (after sophomore year in high school) serve as assistants to camp counselors.

The first Tech Trek was held at Stanford University in 1998, with initial funding from the AAUW Educational Foundation. This year, in addition to CSU, Fresno, camps will be held at Stanford University, Sonoma State University, UC San Diego, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, and Whittier College.

To support programs like Tech Trek or to learn more about AAUW, contact Mariposa Tech Trek Coordinator Sheelah Gehring at 966-7682.