GADgET Summer Program

Community Impact

The revving of table saws and other power tools, soldering iron smoke and the glare of laser light creates a factory like setting during the annual Camp GADgET (Girls Adventuring in Design, Engineering and Technology) summer program at Triton College. More than 30 middle and high school aged girls attend the camp each summer, which introduces them to the fields of manufacturing and engineering.

Triton College Engineering Technology Program Coordinator Antigone Sharris created Camp GADgET. She believes in a hands-on learning approach, especially when it comes to manufacturing and engineering.

“It has to be hands on, and the best way to bring life to STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) is to do it, and this is the doing end of STEM,” Sharris said of Camp GADgET.

Throughout the two-week program, campers design electronic devices, practice metal fabrication, build a robotic arm and more. They also tours area manufacturing facilities including and interact with prominent female executives and engineers, further inspiring the young ladies to make their mark on the industry.