EAST LANSING – Michigan State University welcomed dozens of girls from ages 12 to 18 this summer to explore Science, Technology, Engineering and Math in new ways at the Miss Media Michigan summer camp.

The all-girls tech camp is an immersive program that features game design, interactivity, computing, web development, 3D modeling, electronics, mobile app development, design, and television production. The program, in its second year, is flourishing as one of several MSU Media Summer Camps-a series of technology camps adapted from the Department of Media and Information?s college curriculum.

The program began out of a serious need; most of these technology fields severely lack women representation. Females’ contributions play a critical role in transforming the labor and intellectual economy.

?Michigan State University is committed to providing females the support and experience they’ll need to develop awareness and confidence in specialized technology-driven fields, ?said Program Director Amanda Krueger.

Taught by experienced female faculty, dynamic professionals and some of MSU?s brightest, most enthusiastic college students, Miss Media Michigan hopes to introduce young women to a media playground where they can experiment with technology, create college-adapted projects that they are proud to call their own, and develop meaningful relationships with peers and mentors who want to see participants succeed whatever their interests may be.

?Media is a powerful platform to explore other interests as well, and mastering these technology skills will prove to be some of the most helpful communication and interactive learning tools whether or not their interests take them elsewhere in the future,? said Amanda Krueger Program Director.

Jen Estill, owner of Redhead Design Studio, gave a guest talk to the girls about owning a web business. Estill talked about the importance of thinking about your dreams and turning them into goals towards which you work. Estill asked the girls what they wanted to be and where they wanted to live. She challenged them to think about their future.

?One girl said she wanted to make games in South Africa and another girl said she wanted to be a writer in England,? said Estill.

With a variety of responses, Estill challenged the girls to next think about the steps to take, starting immediately, to reach their goals – taking classes, learning code, or just by asking questions and seeking answers.

During the web days, the girls learned to code HTML and CSS and used the Code Avengers program to create a website. Learning code for the first time can be challenging, after all it?s a whole different language, but the greatest value is seeing the girls gain self-confidence.

The program features software and web-based tools and applications the participants can continue to use for free or low cost beyond the physical program.

?Data from this years camp shows that 40% of the girls continued to work on their webpages after the camp ended,? said guest instructor Jillian Winn. ?That was interest from only one day of programming websites!?

The program was supported by a number of female professionals in tech positions in the mid-Michigan area, including female developers, user experience designers, engineers, IT specialists and business owners from TechSmith, KPMG, Signing Savvy, Redhead Design Studio, MSUFCU, the Michigan Council for Women in Technology, and the Michigan Technology Network.

This is just one STEM camp for girls that combine hands-on learning, mentorship, and application with a real world focus that fully engages young women towards thinking and pursuing STEM-focused colleges and careers. Many colleges, like Michigan State, are starting to foster more females in STEM fields with camps and programs similar to this and many are selling out. Next time you read about a program like this, take a minute to think about young women you may know who can benefit and share to make a difference in getting more women in STEM fields.

For more information on the Miss Media Summer camps and other STEM camps offered through MSU, Click on TISM.MSU.EDU

Associate Editor Nicole Johnson leads MITechNews.Com?s efforts to foster STEM education, as well as provides coverage for her fellow women in computing. If you have a story idea for Nicole, email [email protected] Follow Nicole on Twitter: @tech_nicole