
Studies show that girls’ interest in science/engineering subjects starts to decline the closer the girls get to middle school. As a result, far fewer women pursue careers in various STEM fields than their male counterparts
In response to this information, in the Fall of 2012, Dr. Tracy Camp and her female Computer Science students created a program targetig the 3rd-6th grade age group – DECtech. DECtech is designed to foster and continue girls’ interest in the STEM subjects through creative and interactive activities. The program is very popular with local elementary students, and has grown to include middle and high school aged girls.
To read more about what female industry leaders and influencers say about women in the STEM fields, and their ideas on how to get more girls into STEM, click this link
AWARDS
In July 2020, the DECtech outreach program earned the 2020 Inspiring Programs in STEM Award. This honor was presented by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, and recognizes “unique and innovative efforts for improving access to science, technology, engineering, and math for under-represented students.”
On October 3, 2017, the DECtech team was presnted Golden’s Goldmine Award for Excellence, for our outstanding contribution to the community of Golden and the Colorado School of Mines.

On June 9, 2017, Dr. Camp was honored with the first Million Women Mentors’ Stand Up for STEM award for her impact on young women through her mentoring, programming, and industry partnerships. Read more here.
On January 18, 2016, Dr. Camp recieved the MLK Recognition Award for her commitment to diversity and, specifically, the Discovering Technology program. Read more about Dr. Camp here.

DECtech 2017-2018 Instructors
(from left: Lydia, Megan S, Bethel, Megan K, Alex, Sarah, Leah; not pictured: Becca)