A group of 32 female and minority Chicago public high school students will gather on DePaul University’s Lincoln Park Campus for a summer technology camp July 26 – August 2.

The weeklong event, sponsored by the DePaul’s chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), is called “Girls With Engineering Mindz (GEMz).” The camp seeks to provide urban youths with a balanced exposure to technology and life skills topics.

The goals of the GEMz program is to teach participants technical skills development in Web design, immerse them in a university environment for one week, practice team-building techniques, develop money management and public speaking skills and enhance social development and interest in community service.

“Women and minorities are under-represented in the information technology field,” said Donna Grant-Chapple, one of the conference organizers, who recently received her master’s degree in computer science from DePaul. “What we are hoping to do with this camp is to build the foundation for career success in the computer sciences for these young women.”

The program features three tiers: an academic and technology tier that focuses on technical skill building; a personal development and team building tier that explores basic life skills while working in a team environment; and a social development tier that exposes the participants to a variety of experiences that promote healthy social interaction. Camp participants will be divided into six teams of five to six members each to promote interactive, team-based learning. Grant-Chapple, a founding officer of the DePaul NSBE chapter, said that sessions will be taught by DePaul graduate students in computer science, one DePaul faculty member and a few outside instructors. Other camp organizers inlcude DePaul graduate students Chandrea Brown, Toni Perrien and Monica Triplett.

The emphasis of the academic and technology tier will be for each team to discuss neighborhood social issues and design and develop a Web site that will enable local communities to address and minimize these issues. In the second tier, the students will take part in formal team-building exercises, promoting trust and open communication. In the social development tier classes, participants will unwind with cultural dance classes and nightly reflection sessions.

DePaul is the largest private educational institution in Chicago and the largest Catholic university in the nation. A richly diverse population of 21,363 students attends classes on two city and six suburban campuses.

DePaul was founded in 1898 by the Vincentian Fathers and Brothers (the Congregation of the Mission), a Roman Catholic religious community which continues the mission and values of Vincent de Paul, the 17th century French saint known as the “Apostle of Charity.”

DePaul CTI is the one of the largest computer science programs in the country. The undergraduate program enrolls 1,949 students and offers six different degrees. More than 2,300 students are enrolled in the graduate program, which offers nine different master’s degrees. DePaul CTI also features a doctoral degree program in computer science. For more information on DePaul CTI or the new distance learning master’s degree programs, visit www.cs.depaul.edu.

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For complete camp schedule information and to arrange a visit to the camp, please contact Shawn Malayter at 312-362-6978).