Natalie Davies ’10 | SMU Electrical Engineering Major, pictured with Eddie Hourigan ’10.

Not all K-12 students have access to a challenging math and science curriculum. To supplement their education, the Caruth Institute for Engineering has developed several camp opportunities for young girls to help bridge the gap in engineering, math and science concepts not yet offered by their schools while striving to increase the number of girls pursuing engineering degrees at SMU and universities nationwide. The SMU Engineering Summer Camps for Girls, targeting girls in grade 8-12, also increase students’ familiarity and comfort with a university campus environment. Through the success of the Summer Camps, this Caruth Institute for Engineering Education program has become a model for others and is being tried at regional universities.

Students like Natalie Davies are exposed to engineering and science through SMU’s Summer Engineering Camp for Girls. Natalie attended the camp in summer 2005 and participated in a group engineering design project in which teams were challenged to create a product using a technology that would turn images into sounds. After the camp, Natalie earned a $1,000 scholarship to attend the SMU School of Engineering as an undergraduate.