A Colorado School of Mines outreach program to engage girls in STEM has been awarded the Mayor’s 2017 Gold Mine Award for Excellence.
DECTech was one of five award recipients at the City of Golden Mayor’s 2017 Community Celebration on Oct. 3. The Gold Mine Award recognizes contributions to the betterment of Colorado School of Mines and the Golden community.
City officials said DECTech was chosen “for their efforts to make an impact on local girls, and show them the fun and importance of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).”
Short for “Discover-Explore-Create Technology,” DECTech was founded in 2012 by Tracy Camp, professor and head of the Computer Science Department at Mines, in response to studies that show girls’ interest in science and engineering starts to decline the closer they get to middle school. The program, designed to foster and continue that interest through creative and interactive activities, originally targeted girls in 3rd-6th grades but has since grown to include middle and high school students. Female Mines students serve as the program’s leaders.
CONTACT
Emilie Rusch, Public Information Specialist, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3361 | erusch@mines.edu
Mark Ramirez, Managing Editor, Communications and Marketing | 303-273-3088 | ramirez@mines.edu
