FAU Jupiter Hosts Annual Tech Trek Summer Camp

In June, 48 seventh-grade girls from across Florida convened at Florida Atlantic University’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter for a weeklong immersion into advanced concepts of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).

Nominated by their math, science, or engineering teachers, the girls were among an elite group chosen for an annual summer camp called Tech Trek, a program operated and funded by donations from Florida branches and sponsors through the AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation. During the weeklong camp, the girls stayed in the dorms on the Jupiter campus (which aren’t occupied by college students during the summer) and engaged in an intensive, hands-on learning curriculum.

The girls chose from four core courses - neuroscience, marine biology, structural engineering and computer science – which they attended each morning, followed by special workshops and outings in the afternoons. Courses and workshops were led by a variety of instructors, including FAU faculty and staff, local experts and Tech Trek staff.

For example, the neuroscience core course was hosted by FAU’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute (SNBI) and led by Nicole Baganz, Ph.D., director of community engagement and programming, and Aly Paz, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, and Paula Kurdziel, Ph.D., research assistant professor at the Brain Institute. The course was a tour of different aspects of brain research and showcased the real-world impact of neuroscience discovery. Campers started with an introduction to brain anatomy, featuring a sheep brain dissection and an activity building a human brain model. As the week progressed, they zoomed in to the cellular level. They built colorful neuron models using candy and role-played a neural network by passing ping pong balls as neurotransmitters to simulate how brain cells communicate. And campers practiced molecular biology techniques to identify a genetic mutation in a fictional patient.

“SNBI is proud to have created such a dynamic and engaging experience for this group of young learners,” said Baganz. “The course gave students a deeper understanding of neuroscience and a clearer picture of what a career in STEM can look like.”

During the afternoon workshops, activities alternated among STEM topics such as chemistry (taught by Chitra Chandrasekhar, Ph.D., a faculty member at FAU’s Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College), robotics, coding and circuitry, and genome editing (taught by Bethany Stanhope, Ph.D., executive director of academic operations at FAU Jupiter), as well as opportunities to flex their creative and athletic skills through archery, exercise science, graphic design and journaling.

A highlight of the week was Professional Women’s Night where the girls experienced a formal banquet-style professional event. The program featured keynote speaker Nicole Cummings, the program manager for the RL10 rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis II mission to the moon and back.  Cummings is an alumna of FAU’s College of Engineering and a recipient of Florida Atlantic Alumni’s 2023 Hall of Fame award. The evening was rounded out with an expert  panel of women in science, technology and engineering fields representing a range of career stages. The campers were given a chance to ask questions, hear personal stories and get advice about pursuing careers in science.

“The collaboration between Florida Atlantic University and Tech Trek is instrumental to the success of Tech Trek Camp,” said Cheryl Huey, Tech Trek FAU Camp co-director. “Our campers experience high-end STEM experiences in the classroom while also being exposed to campus life on a safe and beautiful campus. The goal of Tech Trek Camp is to give our campers the confidence to take upper-level math and science classes in high school and beyond and potentially pursue a career in STEM in the future.” 

FAU and Stetson University are the only two host sites in Florida for Tech Trek. Tech Trek is a nationwide initiative launched in 1998 by the AAUW to inspire more girls to pursue collegiate education and careers in STEM-related fields. Learn more at https://techtrek-fl.aauw.net/.


Bethany Stanhope, Ph.D., executive director of academic operations at FAU Jupiter, taught a workshop on genome editing during the 2025 Tech Trek summer camp hosted by FAU Jupiter.