E-Smart Program.
An overnight STEM summer camp designed to encourage our girls to reach high and love to learn so they can be anything they want to be. Utah Tech University is our main partner and hosts the camps.
eSmart a summer camp is an overnight camp. If you are paying camp fees or have a code provided by a program to cover fees, you are registering for camp when you submit this form. If you are applying for a need-based fee waiver, we do not ask you to commit to attending camp until we let you know if you have been approved.
Approvals for need-based waivers will go out no later than May 20th via email notification to the guardian listed on the registration. Early registrations with fee waiver applications will be notified on a monthly basis.
Thanks for your interest in eSMART summer camp for girls. This camp is the only sleep-over STEM summer camp in southern Utah. It is for any girl entering the 8th or 9th grade the fall following camp. Information on camp specifics is generally available in January each year. Financial assistance is based on financial need and is generally restricted to campers living within about 100 miles of St. George.
eSMART (Exploring Science, Math and Related Technologies) is a summer camp for girls that was started by the St. George, Utah chapter of the American Association of University Women to encourage our girls to reach high and love to learn so they can be anything they want to be. Utah Tech University is our main partner and hosts the camps.
Girls spend camp in the laboratories and dorms at UTU as part of their first college experience! Camp includes a variety of STEM workshops taught by successful women in STEM careers including topics including planetary science, local archaeology, genetics, food science, computer programming, electronics, geology, and many more. Activities are all hands-on and include a day at Pine Valley. We always make sure that there is downtime to let the girls get to know each other and learn to work together. All of the camp counselors are women STEM majors at Utah Tech with teams of ten campers assigned to a specific counselor to make sure that all of our campers get the attention they need.
Program Funding
AAUW St. George Branch holds fundraisers, applies for grants, and accepts donations year-round to operate the eSMART Camps. While the cost to run the camp is ~$600/camper, families are only charged $300 to make sure that all girls can attend. In addition, we are able to provide a limited number of need-based fee waivers to further reduce the cost of camp. If you need a fee waiver for your girl to attend camp, please register and make the request. You are not committing to attending camp if you request the fee waiver until you know if you have received assistance. However, if one of our partners (ETS for example) is sponsoring you, you will have a code to enter and can consider your camper accepted and committed to attending camp.
Basic Camp Information
Girls will be housed in Utah Tech dorms on campus. The rooms can accommodate 1-2 campers. We will send out a room type and roommate request form in late May, but requests for more than one roommate will not be accepted. Campers are assigned to teams of eight girls who have a dedicated camp counselor who is also a female STEM major at Utah Tech and who has passed the same background checks required of all Utah Tech employees working with minors. Activities will include a variety of workshops in the Utah Tech science and computer labs, a day trip to Pine Valley, and an afternoon at the Utah Tech pool.
More Information
For more information about eSMART please contact our Camp Director: Dr. Erin O’Brien, 435-652-7761 or send an email to [email protected].
We get many requests from families whose campers would like to experience eSMART a second time. We prioritize space for girls entering the 8th grade the fall after camp and those entering 9th grade who have not yet had a chance to attend camp, but we sometimes make spots available to returning campers if we have a few left in May. If your girl is interested in attending camp again, please email Dr. Erin to get on that waitlist.
ESMART is open to all participants, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, or pregnancy-related condition. All participants are welcome to join. ESMART adheres to and complies with Utah Tech University’s non-discrimination policy.