Girls Robotics Competition in San Angelo Gets Grant Funding

SAN ANGELO, TX — Drs. Christine Purkiss and Donna Gee of Angelo State University’s teacher education faculty have been awarded a $42,000 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission to conduct a new “Coding Camp 4 Girls” program this summer for local and area middle school girls.   

In partnership with the Tom Green County Library’s STEAM Central program, ASU will host three free “Coding Camp 4 Girls” camps in June, two on the ASU campus and one at the Stephens Central Library.    

Each five-day, non-residential camp has openings for 24 girls who will be entering sixth, seventh or eighth grade in the fall of 2019. Participants will learn to build and program robots using the LEGO® Mindstorms hardware/software platform. The camps are free to all participants – and T-shirts, lunches and snacks will be provided.    

The “Coding Camp 4 Girls” camps will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day on the following dates:   

• June 3-7 at Angelo State University
• June 10-14 at Stephens Central Library
• June 17-21 at Angelo State University   

Applications for the camps are available at www.angelo.edu/codingcamp4girls.     

“Coding and robotics has really taken off in local schools,” Purkiss said, “and several competitions are hosted every year locally, with teams of students moving on to the state competition. ‘Coding Camp 4 Girls’ will be introductory coding and robotics camps where girls can learn or hone their skills and become excited about this STEM field.”   

Purkiss and Gee were awarded the TWC grant (No. 1219TAN002) through a statewide competition, and ASU is the only institution west of the I-35 corridor to receive a grant. The purpose of the TWC grant program is to increase the interest of middle school girls in coding and programming by providing hands-on experiences in summer camps designed to enhance learning, problem-solving and analytical skills, as well as promote interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) careers.