In order to meet the growing workforce needs in science and technology it is projected that the U.S. must increase the number of undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) degrees by about 34% annually over current rates. At both the national and statewide level, a significant number of initiatives have been launched to stimulate interest in STEM disciplines and improve the coordination of efforts between K-12 and higher education. Most recently, the state of Utah introduced the Governor's Prosperity 2020 challenge to increase the number of post-secondary degrees in the state and realign Utah's educational outcomes towards a STEM centered-workforce. With support from a National Science Foundation grant (0652982) aimed at increasing the number of engineering graduates in the state of Utah, staff and faculty from the College of Engineering at the University of Utah have been developing an engineering summer camp program to help recruit students into higher education. This paper describes a few of the summer camp options we have implemented and discusses the challenges, opportunities and lessons learned from our experiences.
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