Central Washington University's ACES Academy is an opportunity for 13 to 17 year old girls to explore their potential as future professionals in the career fields of aviation, construction, engineering and safety. Our goal is to increase the number of young women who choose to pursue education and enter the workforce in these technical fields.
This academy provides hands on learning experiences and activities to spark career interest in these fields. The Ellensburg campus hosts the event which is sponsored by grants from industry and the University. The girls stay in residence halls and have a chance to take a flight lesson, engineer a device, operate a backhoe, design, test and launch water rockets, use Global Positioning System (GPS) for a treasure hunt, organize and clean up a mock hazardous waste spill and build an original project.
The young women also learn about technical careers for women, meet current women technical professionals, take a field trip to an active construction site, and test construction materials in the laboratory. CWU's President Jerilyn McIntyre presents the girls with certificates of completion and encourages them to consider career fields that are not typically pursued by young women.
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