Second Annual CWU Women's ACES Academy Planned

June 30, 2005

Contact: Amy Hoover (509-963-2300/fax 509-963-2377/e-mail: hoovera@cwu.edu)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - A group of 30 young women from throughout central and eastern Washington will attend this year's Aviation, Construction, Engineering, and Safety (ACES) summer camp at Central Washington University.

The girls, ages 13 to 17, will spend three days engaged in activities including flying airplanes, visiting a construction site, building and testing rockets and engineering devices, learning about industrial safety and using GPS (global positioning system) and search and rescue equipment for a high-tech treasure hunt.

Women engineers, pilots, construction managers and industry safety professionals will serve as teachers and mentors to the participants. Female students from the CWU safety and health management, industrial and engineering technology (IET), and flight technology programs will also mentor those involved in the learning activities.

"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," Dr. Amy Hoover, CWU flight technology professor and camp organizer, says. "Our goal is to increase the number of young women who choose to pursue education and enter the workforce in these technical fields."

The camp sponsors include Fluor Government Group, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Associated General Contractors of America, Boeing Co., Midstate Aviation, Len Thayer, CWU facilities management and IET.

For more information call (509) 963-2364, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD (509) 963-2143.