Middle school girls from Warrick County will get an extra boost to learn about engineering and computer science this summer, thanks to the Women’s Fund of Warrick County.
For the past three years, the Women’s Fund of Warrick County has enabled the University of Evansville to provide partial scholarships for the OPTIONS for Middle School Girls program to qualifying middle school girls who reside in Warrick County. The residential summer program, an offshoot of UE’s successful OPTIONS for High School Girls program, aims to teach young women with an aptitude for math and science about the exciting possibilities in the fields of engineering and computer science.
This year’s OPTIONS for Middle School Girls program will take place June 17-21 at the University of Evansville.
“OPTIONS for High School Girls began in 1992. In 2004, as it became evident that students need to understand career opportunities at earlier ages in order to select the proper classes going into high school, we launched OPTIONS for Middle School Girls,†said Phil Gerhart, dean of UE’s College of Engineering and Computer Science. “We’re extremely grateful to the Women’s Fund of Warrick County for their continued generosity in partnering with us to allow interested young women from Warrick County to experience OPTIONS.â€
At OPTIONS, students build engineering projects, take part in team-building activities, and work together with other participants, all while learning about the opportunities available in the engineering and computer science fields.
Attendees also will have the opportunity to build on their experience in future years; girls who come to the middle school program will receive a $100 scholarship to attend the OPTIONS for High School Girls program after they complete high school geometry. High school students who attend OPTIONS for High School Girls, then choose to attend the University of Evansville, are eligible for a $1,250 per year scholarship (regardless of major).
Both OPTIONS programs are funded by a grant from Vectren.
