Local initiatives like Girls Who Code and others are working steadfast to help close the gender gap and increase the interest of young women in computer science and STEM professions. Check out these upcoming opportunities.
Girls Who Code
Free Summer Immersion Program
Girls Who Code is a nonprofit that engages young women in computer science and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities. Encourage girls you know to get their start in tech by applying to the Girls Who Code Summer Immersion Program – a free seven-week summer program for 10th and 11th grade girls (rising juniors and seniors) to learn the computer science skills they need to make an impact in their community while preparing for a career in tech. The program is designed to be an introduction to computer science, so they are seeking those that have little to no experience with coding.
The program will take place in Bentonville, but it is available to girls throughout the entire region. The early acceptance deadline is February 14, and all applications are due March 15. Stipends of up to $1,200 to cover transportation and living costs are available to those who qualify.
Bentonville Public Library
Lil' Miss Coder
Lil’ Miss Coder is an organization founded by former Bentonville High School students with a mission to ‘teach girls to code.’ The group meets monthly in the Bentonville Public Library’s Walmart Community Room.
Lil’ Miss Coder invites all tech-interested teens and tweens (students in grades 5 through 12) to find their place in technology. A limited number of library laptops are available for check-out, but participants are also encouraged to bring their own.
In the last three years, the group has introduced over 100 girls to technology. The next meeting will be on March 7 at 1 p.m.
Bentonville Public Library
Lil' Miss Coder
Lil’ Miss Coder is an organization founded by former Bentonville High School students with a mission to ‘teach girls to code.’ The group meets monthly in the Bentonville Public Library’s Walmart Community Room.
Lil’ Miss Coder invites all tech-interested teens and tweens (students in grades 5 through 12) to find their place in technology. A limited number of library laptops are available for check-out, but participants are also encouraged to bring their own.
In the last three years, the group has introduced over 100 girls to technology. The next meeting will be on March 7 at 1 p.m.
Smithsonian Institution
"She Can" STEM Camp
The National Air and Space Museum is recruiting for paid interns to work on our S.H.E. Can STEM summer camp, which is expanding to Bentonville, Arkansas for the first time this year.
The S.H.E. Can interns will help in the planning and facilitation of a two-week day camp for middle school students in Bentonville, Arkansas, to explore STEM topics. The camps will focus on innovation in aviation, exploring museum artifacts as well as posting design-engineering challenges and team-based activities to campers. The interns will work as a team to design content for the camp and supervise campers in daily operation of the camp. Camp activities include launching a weather balloon, indoor skydiving, flight lessons, and more. Each intern will receive a stipend of $2,750.
The summer camp is designed for students with an interest in aviation and seeks to empower young women to succeed in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) disciplines. It is open and free to fifth through eighth grade students, but applications do not open for the camp until March 1, 2020.
John Brown University
Computer Science Academy
Finally, while this opportunity is not targeted specifically at girls, it is both an affordable and accessible introductory program for those interested in the basics of programming.
The JBU Computer Science Academy is an eight-week program designed to teach 7th to 12th grade students the basics of programming. It offers courses in the basics of C# using and original computer science curriculum. Students will be led in a two-hour session each week with guidance from on-site student-teachers, each day developing new skills and knowledge in computer programming. Each student will be able to interact one-on-one with a student-teacher when they have questions or need clarification.
The cost is only $100, and the program will take place each Saturday morning from February 22 to April 25.
John Brown University
Computer Science Academy
Finally, while this opportunity is not targeted specifically at girls, it is both an affordable and accessible introductory program for those interested in the basics of programming.
The JBU Computer Science Academy is an eight-week program designed to teach 7th to 12th grade students the basics of programming. It offers courses in the basics of C# using and original computer science curriculum. Students will be led in a two-hour session each week with guidance from on-site student-teachers, each day developing new skills and knowledge in computer programming. Each student will be able to interact one-on-one with a student-teacher when they have questions or need clarification.
The cost is only $100, and the program will take place each Saturday morning from February 22 to April 25.
