Summer Robotics Camp For Girls: Spaces Available At Saint Leo

Saint Leo, FL — Tampa Bay area parents of young girls looking for a way to keep their kids busy and learning over the summer might find an upcoming program at Saint Leo University of interest. The school has announced there are still spaces available in its Girls Can! Robotics Camps.

The camps are designed to encourage young girls with an interest in math, science and related disciplines to explore the possibilities. Geared toward girls entering the fifth through eighth grades (ages 10-15), the camps all take place on the university’s 33701 State Road 52 campus.

The camps are broken into four different sessions. The first three are one-week day programs. The fourth is designed as an overnight camp for girls with previous robotics experience. The day camps run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on weekdays.

The sessions and related costs are as follows:

• Week 1 – July 5-8, four days; $150
• Week 2 – July 11-15, five days, $170
• Week 3 – July 18-22, five days, $170
• Week 4 – July 24-29. Campers will stay in university apartment suites with the program’s director and counselors on site. The cost is $475.

The university says a limited number of scholarships may be available.

Dr. Monika Kiss, part of Saint Leo’s mathematics faculty, is heading up the camp this year with help from college students, who will act as counselors.

Kiss is passionate about fostering a love of mathematics in children. In addition to running the Girls Can! Robotics Camp for the second year running, she also oversees a free weekly math circle for middle school-aged students.

“My goal, as a mathematics professor, is to help people realize that math is fun and also to encourage everyone to like math,” she said.

The idea for the girls’ robotics camp spouted last year and was such a success, Saint Leo decided to bring it back again this year, she said. That was a a decision Kiss supported wholeheartedly.

“As a female mathematician, a mother of a young girl, I feel that it is my duty to become a role model for other young girls,” she said. “I love mathematics! I feel very lucky to have the support of my university to offer such a wonderful enrichment program for the young women in our community. I hope to establish this program more and to offer it in the future for boys, as well. “

For more information about the robotics camp and to apply, visit the Girls Can! Robotics Camp website.

Photo courtesy of Saint Leo University