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May 8, 2006

Learn About High Tech Careers in
Process Technology at Calhoun Community College

For one week this summer – June 26 – 30, young, high school-aged women will gather at Calhoun Community College to learn more about the career opportunities available to them in Process Industries.  The Science and Technology Preview (STeP) summer camp is an opportunity for young women to learn about high tech careers in these non-traditional fields. The STeP summer camp is free to the first 25 students who apply, and pre-registration is required.  The deadline for submitting applications is May 31, 2006. 

Process industries take raw materials and transform them into finished products through the use of a chemical and/or a physical process.  High tech jobs in these areas are both high paying and have the best opportunity for growth in the next decade.  But many young women do not realize that these career paths are open to them because of negative stereotypes and a lack of good role models. The STeP summer camp will introduce and help them “step up” to the career.

"Process Technology incorporates elements from math, science, and even communication," Jim Swindell, Assistant Dean for Technologies said. "By introducing this career option to young women still in high school, we hope to guide them into the math and science courses they will need to prepare them for earning an associate degree in Process Technology.  At Calhoun, we also offer college courses at the high school level. Students can receive dual credit for classes they take now, before graduation.  More importantly, students completing the two-year degree program have the potential to earn up to $50,000 in starting salaries.”

STeP summer camps have been held at Victoria College in Victoria, Texas, and Baton Rouge Community College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. All camps are sponsored by the Center for the Advancement of Process Technology (CAPT), a national center funded, in part, through a National Science Foundation grant. The purpose of each camp is to encourage young women to see the value of a career in process or chemical technology and to urge them to prepare now for a rewarding future.

The Calhoun Community College Process Technology Program is hosting the STeP summer camp because a large number of industries that hire Process Technology graduates are located nearby.  BP, Solutia, Nova Chemicals and other local process industries are co-hosting the event.
Participants will tour the same labs and pilot plants used by Process Technology students at the college while actually collecting and analyzing data samples and performing simple experiments. They will further their knowledge of the industry, while sharpening their search skills, through online scavenger hunts. For more information about the STeP summer camp, contact Jim Swindell  at jes@calhoun.edu, or call 256-306-2539.   For an application, visit http://www.calhoun.edu/techno/step/ 

Coverage of this release:

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Janet Kincherlow-Martin
Director of Public Relations
(256) 306-2561

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