miniGEMS 2018 Summer Camp Evaluation: Empowering Middle School Girls in STEAM

MiniGEMS, a free two-week summer STEAM camp has been launched at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), San Antonio, Texas since 2015. The goal of miniGEMS is to introduce more females into the fields of STEM. During the summer 2018, a total of 108 middle school girls was recruited from Title I schools and school districts in San Antonio, Texas. The camp focused on attracting underrepresented populations and provided various hands-on STEAM-related activities in an informal learning setting. This study applied experiential learning theory and evaluated the effectiveness of miniGEMS STEAM (Science, technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) camp. Through analyzing surveys, interviews, and students' posters, the results indicated that: (1) students had minimal STEM backgrounds; their most favorite subject was Science (40%), while 45% of students identified math as their least favorite STEM subjects; (2) with the facilitation of camp counselors and teachers, students expressed that learning in miniGEMS camp was fun and engaging; and (3) students' learning involves the acquisition of abstract concepts from hands-on activities that can be applied in advanced STEM studies and future careers.