Texas Workforce Commission Awards Ten Grants totaling $640,008 in Support of Camp Code for Girls

Date: June 3, 2019

Media Contact: Margaret Hession
Phone: 512-463-8942

AUSTIN – The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) awarded ten grants totaling $640,008 for Camp Code to focus on increasing the interest of middle school girls in coding and computer science by providing summer camps. Students will get hands-on experiences that allow them to learn problem solving and analytical skills while fostering an interest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) related careers with a focus on computer science.

Camp Code provides more than 1,000 students with activities and lessons that encourage their interest in technology, such as working in teams to use programming languages to build games, web pages and robots.

“Programs like Camp Code for Girls that encourage young women’s interests in computer sciences increase the recruitment and retention of high-tech businesses in Texas,” said TWC Chair and Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth R. Hughs. “We are dedicated to providing young students learning opportunities where their passion and enthusiasm for STEM fields can be developed for postsecondary education and rewarding career opportunities with Texas employers.”

The grants awarded to independent school districts, universities and higher education institutions are designed to spark girls’ interests in careers in computer programming from an early age and encourage them to consider careers in these highly sought-after fields. 

“A solid foundation in computer programming and software development puts our students on a path to pursue careers that command competitive salaries,” said TWC Commissioner Representing Labor Julian Alvarez. “Young girls who are given a glimpse into the world of coding at Camp Code, will leave inspired to continue their studies in science and engineering fields.”

Creating summer camps that offer computer science projects that incorporate art and storytelling with robotics, video games, websites and applications can also further interest in the coding field. The coding education includes the most in-demand and popular computer science languages, such as Java, SQL, C++, Net, Perl, Ruby and JavaScript.

The ten recipients of the Camp Code scholarships are:

• Angelo State University, $41,397 — 72 scholarships for Camp LEGO robotics where participants will be introduced to robotics and the logic, problem solving, and sequencing skills needed for coding through interactions with Bee Bots, Dash robotics and Strawbees. Students will deepen their understanding and skills through building and coding robots, programming the motor blocks and touch sensors using LEGO Robotics.
• Lone Star College - Tomball, $27,920 — 40 scholarships for Royal Girls Coding Camps where participants will improve their familiarity and experience with computer coding and programming skills while increasing their understanding and interest in post-secondary education and STEM-related careers.
• San Jacinto College, $18,356 — 36 scholarships for Camp Girl Programming Power (Camp GP) where participants will be introduced to programming in a fun way using the Scratch language. This language will help define critical thinking skills by using coding blocks that represent programming structures used in programming languages used in industry.
• St. Mary's University, $58,052 — 168 scholarships for Spiders & Snakes: Web and Python camp, Viruses & Worms: Cybersecurity camp, Fun & Games: Game Development camp and LEGOS & Robots: Robotics camp. Participants will be exposed to the context of problem solving with software; the four phases of software development (analyze, design, code and test); how coding impacts everyday life; and related career options.
• University of Houston, $98,857 — 132 scholarships for DesignHER Coding Camp for Girls where each camp will engage students in hands-on experiences that provide challenging and innovative concepts in learning, problem-solving, and analytical skills while fostering an interest in computer coding/programming. Girls will work side-by-side with female role models who are industry leaders in STEM fields.
• University of Houston - Clear Lake, $49,875 — 75 scholarships Soaring Hawks Girls Code Academy where participants will gain skills and knowledge about computer programming (coding) using free online coding tools (i.e. Code.org, Blockly, Code Combat, Kodable, VidCode, Code Monkey). The camp will explore game development through free software tools (i.e. Bloxels, Gamemaker, Kodu, Scratch, GameBlox) that will allow participants to use their coding skills to produce functional and entertaining games.
• University of El Paso – UTEP, $49,569 — 150 scholarships for ExciTES Code for Girls where sessions will be driven by coding activities focused on water conservation and usage by plants in the desert environment. This theme will be implemented into a video game environment where coding will be used to maneuver the character.
• University of Texas - San Antonio, $99,997 — 150 scholarships for Girl Coderunner Camp where three modules will be used to introduce girls to different facets of computing: (1) a module on webpage design using open-source HTML programs (e.g., Kompozer), (2) a module on creating animation and games using open source C compiler, and (3) a module on physical computing using LEGO Mindstorms and programming using LabVIEW. At the end of each camp, the girls will build a website that showcases themselves and their creations, as well as a YouTube video of their animations, games, and robots.
• University of the Incarnate Word, $99,688 — 104 scholarships for miniGEMS STEAM and Programming Camp where the coding/programming curriculum will include an introduction to Scratch Programming, Python Scripting, and MATLAB Scripting. The Lego Mindstorm EV3 Robot will be used to reinforce the application of coding/programming to engineering projects.
• The Urban Stem Corporation, $96,298 — 160 scholarships for one of eight camps focusing on topics such as Bio-Sensory Coding, Avionics Coding, LEGO EV3 Mindstorm, and Android App Development. These camps will provide participants with the opportunity to learn coding for controlling robots, creating apps, and video game development.

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The Texas Workforce Commission is a state agency dedicated to helping Texas employers, workers and communities prosper economically. For details on TWC and the services it offers in coordination with its network of local workforce development boards, call 512-463-8942 or visit www.texasworkforce.org. To receive notifications about TWC programs and services subscribe to our email updates.