For the last 11 years, North Dakota State University has offered a 10-week program called TechGYRLS to increase interest in STEM fields among young girls. The program is offered after school for girls in grades three through seven.
Girls come to campus for two hours once a week. They participate in hands-on activities led by women students in engineering including designing a Lego robot, blasting a rocket, and building model bridges.
The effort is sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers and the College of Engineering at the university.