Liz Wright of George West High School and Krissy Arnst of Three Rivers High School were selected to attend the South Texas Girls in Engineering Manufacturing and Science (ST GEMS) camp at Texas A&M University-Kingsville on July 13-17. Selection was based on core subject GPA, school attendance and a written essay.

University officials said they had more than 150 applicants from South Texas but could only accept 48. The students were given a $200 travel stipend for their stay at TAMU-Kingsville and upon completion of the weeklong camp they earned a $500 scholarship.

ST GEMS camp is a Texas Workforce Commission program for high school girls to develop math, science and engineering concepts by participating in hands-on engineering projects and technical activities. During the camp, Wright and Arnst were assigned to a faculty member. Each faculty member concentrated on a specific project such as solar energy, robotics or effects of air pollution. They provided the students with hands-on activities that introduced them to the project and introduced them to the research process.

In order to expose the students to as many disciplines as possible during the week, the projects changed from day to day. Daily technical activities were included such as working with a mini hybrid car and determining the forces produced by static or moving fluids. These activities provided additional information about research activities within the College of Engineering as well as in the Department of Chemistry and Biology.

On the last day of the camp, Wright and Arnst, along with the other 46 students from area schools, took a field trip and toured the facilities of DCP Midstream near Kingsville. They are one of the nation’s largest natural gas gatherers and processors, the largest natural gas liquids (NGLs) producer and one of the largest NGL marketers in the U.S.

In the late afternoon, the students attended a final ceremony and were awarded $500 scholarships.