Attendance At CWU's Aces Academy Hits Record High

July 17, 2008

ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Registration is at an all time high for Central Washington University's popular Aviation, Construction, Engineering and Safety (ACES) summer camp for girls, which runs from July 18 through July 20. Forty-four middle school girls from around Washington state are headed to Ellensburg this weekend to take part in the interdisciplinary camp. Nearly half of them are from Kittitas County.

ACES, which is in its fifth year, is for girls between the ages of 12 and 14. The camp provides an opportunity for girls to explore their potential as future professionals in the field of work where women are underrepresented.

Long-time local developer and general contractor, Mitch Williams, president and owner of MF Williams Construction Co. Inc., will take campers on a tour through his current project, the Canyon River Ranch. On the tour the girls will learn about green building practices, how construction can be balanced with the natural environment and how construction developers can work with community groups.

Participants will also get a chance to fly airplanes during EAA Young Eagles Day at Bowers Field in Ellensburg, visit Puget Sound Energy's Wild Horse Wind Facility, build and test rockets and other engineering devices, learn about industrial safety, and visit with members of the Kittitas County Fire Department.

"This year we had more than 50 applicants apply from all over the state," says Dr. Amy Hoover, CWU Department of Aviation chair and camp organizer. "Our goal was to accept 40 young women to participate, and we had to increase the number of applicants because of such a high demand. It broke my heart to send back the checks from the additional high quality applicants."

The success of ACES relies on dedicated local volunteers that are committed to the next generation of the labor force. Hoover is grateful for the many volunteer engineers, pilots, construction managers, safety professionals and Central students and faculty that serve as teachers and mentors to camp participants.

The camp is sponsored through donations from industry leaders including Boeing Aircraft, EAA Chapter 492, Fluor Federal Group, Associated General Contractors of America, and American Society of Mechanical Engineers, as well as CWU's Aviation, Industrial and Engineering Technology and Facilities Management Departments, the CWU Foundation and the Wenatchee Gear Up Program.

"Our goal is to increase the number of young women who choose to pursue education and enter the workforce in these technical fields," explains Hoover. "This event will give girls hands-on opportunities to explore their potential as future professionals in any of these fields and to interact with women students and professionals in those fields. We would love to see them at CWU in the future."

The ACES camp is the proud recipient of the Washington State Construction Workforce Conference's 2006 Excellence in Construction Education Award in the Innovators of 2006 - post-secondary category.

For more information, visit our Web site at www.cwu.edu/~flight/aces/home.html, or call 509-963-2300, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD 509-963-2143.

Media Contact:
Amy Hoover, CWU Dept. of Aviation, , hoovera@cwu.edu, 509-963-2300
Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu,509-963-1416

Central Washington University is a master's degree-granting institution with approximately 10,000 students and 1,500 faculty and staff. More than 160 undergraduate and master's degrees are offered. Founded in 1891, the Ellensburg campus is located in the heart of Washington State, nestled between the Cascade Mountains and the Columbia River. Since 1975, CWU has served the needs of place bound students at six university centers throughout the state. CWU is an AA/EEO Title IX Institution.