Champlain College's Division of Information Technology and Science hosted its third Kids in Technology and Science day on campus April 15 for more than 80 middle school girls from area schools. Participating schools were Essex Middle School in Essex Junction, Hunt Middle School in Burlington, Folsom School in South Hero, St. Albans City School, Mt. Abraham in Bristol, Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington, Edmunds Middle School in Burlington, Shelburne Community School, and Morrisville Middle School.

The "Kids in Technology and Science" (KITS) program at Champlain College is designed to spark interest in technology and science among schoolchildren and provide Champlain College students with hands-on teaching

 The program is led by Ali Rafieymehr, dean of the Division of Information Technology and Science and is part of an ongoing effort to introduce the sciences to younger students. A similar event was held in November for boys and girls and included having students work with Champlain College ITS majors to build a computer they could then take back to their schools.

A range of workshops on Friday offered students a chance to learn computer programming basics, create an online game, build a website, learn about engines and fuel cell technology, learn about and use digital forensics and lab techniques to work with DNA.

Many of these young girls have already participated in the Champlain ALICE programming classes held last fall for middle school students or had attended a free Alice software program class. Professors say it's important to reach kids at a young age. "One of the things I've found is by the time they get to high school it's too late. One of my goals is to start sparking that interest among females early on in middle school," said Rafieymehr. "They are the most likely to shy away from a future in IT and Science.

Champlain's Division of Information Technology and Sciences offers a wide range of areas of study and majors including, Computer and Digital Forensics, Game Programming, Software Engineering for Emerging Technologies, Computer Information Technology, Radiography, Web Development and Design, and Computer Networking and Information Security.

Since 1878, Champlain College has provided career-focused education to students from its hilltop campus in Burlington, Vt. Champlain's distinctive educational approach embodies the notion that true learning only occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. It offers undergraduate, continuing professional studies and masters programs in technology and information systems. The College was named a "Top-Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges. It is also ranked in the top tier of 2011 Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report. To learn more about Champlain College, www.champlain.edu

For more information about KITS, contact Ali Rafieymehr, 860-2751 or rafieymehr@champlain.edu.