Lake Washington Branch has a goal of sending several girls each year to Tech Trek camps. The branch provides sponsorships to girls who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience in-depth STEM education. Tech Trek is a nationally supported AAUW program for rising 8th grade girls to pursue science, technology and math at a week-long residential camp on a college campus. It was started in California in 1998 and began in Washington in 2013 as a pilot program at Pacific Lutheran University with 50 campers. It has grown to two camps at PLU.

Tech Trek is a premier camp offering STEM education to girls. Learning outcomes that guide the camp design and evaluation focus on increasing their knowledge, interest, and confidence in STEM activities. Residential campers not only enjoy college dorm life and cafeteria dining but also delve into a wide range of core STEM subjects. These core studies involve 12 hours of hands-on learning supported by 12 additional self-selected mini, rotating labs for exploring individual specialties. Class subjects can include astronomy, chemistry, cyber security, marine biology, and robotics, while mini-labs may dive into activities relating to marine bivalves, diagnosing computer hackers, using a stethoscope, and calculating the trajectory of foot pump rockets. All camps include a Professional Women’s night in which girls meet and interact with local women working in STEM careers. Additionally, camps provide a field trip experience with STEM learning, an inspiring movie night, and many chances to team build with their fellow campers and high school student counselors.

Lake Washington Branch sent 2 girls to camp in both 2022 and 2023.