Jul
21
2026
Each year, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) hosts a week-long summer camp for middle school-aged girls interested in math and science. Taking place at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech) in Socorro, TechTrek brings together girls from around the state to experience hands-on science and technology education at one of the top STEM schools in the US. This year, Ideum was excited to participate in the camp’s Engineering Expo.
One of the highlights of TechTrek is the Engineering Expo, where campers rotate through hands-on stations run by local companies and professionals working across STEM fields. The expo gives the girls a chance to see, touch, and try the different kinds of tools and technology that these careers can involve. Ideum brought our latest Pro II touch table, loaded with a handful of other Ideum-built software exhibits, including EM Spectrum and Tangible Engine, both of which engaged campers on multiple levels, sparking questions not just about the science on the screen, but about how the technology itself worked.
EM Spectrum is a multiuser experience that lets visitors explore the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum, from gamma and X-rays to visible light, infrared, and radio waves. The application showcases different objects - hands, electronic devices, celestial bodies, and even a chicken dinner - that were photographed under each wavelength, and as they appear on the screen, users can slide them along the spectrum to watch the imagery change in real time. For campers, it was a more interactive way to grasp a concept usually confined to a textbook, and it quickly led to a second layer of curiosity: how the software itself was built, and how it worked behind the scenes.
Tangible Engine sparked the same multi-level curiosity. Campers got to see both a finished interactive and a peek under the hood at the engine itself, and they wanted to know everything: how do the tangible objects work? What are they made of? How does the table see them and respond? Once they understood how the table and tangibles exchange data, several campers began to mimic the tangibles’ patterns with just their fingers - testing their new understanding by trying to trigger the same interactions by hand. That kind of curiosity, working backward from a cool interaction to understanding how the technology actually works, is exactly why we were excited to participate.
TechTrek is intentional about specifically supporting girls in STEM. The annual camp gives middle school girls from around New Mexico the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers and immerse themselves in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math activities, with each class and activity led by women role models in STEM fields. The program is rooted in AAUW’s own research, which shows that girls who attend are significantly more likely to pursue advanced math and science coursework and go on to STEM careers. That research points to middle school as a pivotal moment when many girls quietly start opting out of these fields, often because they've never seen anyone who looks like them doing that work. Representation matters here in a very literal sense: a camper who spends a week learning from women engineers, scientists, and designers starts to picture herself in that role too. 2026 marked the camp's 12th year in New Mexico — and its 25th year nationally — making it one of the most effective introductions to STEM for girls in the country.
At Ideum, we build tools for museums and science centers precisely because we believe hands-on, exploratory learning changes how people see themselves and what they think they're capable of. Supporting girls in STEM at this exact age is a natural extension of that belief, and a chance to help make sure the next generation of engineers and designers is more representative of the world they'll be building for.
TechTrek is just the latest in a series of events that Ideum has participated in and sponsored this year. We were also excited to partner with Cosmic Forces at the Game Gauntlet Jam in late June, and our founder spoke on a panel at New Mexico’s CreativeCon 2026. In May, we opened our doors to the community during our annual Studio Party, and later this year we are looking forward to participating and sponsoring our friends at the New Mexico Association of Museums conference in Las Cruces, NM. We also have our open application for local groups to receive donated hardware through our Technology for Our Community program.
Whether it’s a classroom full of 8th graders learning about how our tables are built, or a conference hall full of designers, artists, and professionals exchanging ideas, we are drawn to events where curiosity turns into discovery. If you have an upcoming event, exhibit, or interactive experience, get in touch with our team to see how we can help! You can also follow along with our online newsletter to see what we are building and where our team will be next.
