STEPS Celebrates 15th Anniversary, Dr. John Walker, Tekne Award at March 1 Event

St. Thomas' School of Engineering's STEPS camp for girls had a lot to celebrate in 2013. So much that organizers of the camp will hold a celebration from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, March 1, in the James. B. Woulfe Alumni Hall on St. Thomas' St. Paul campus in honor of all of its achievements.

The fete not only will honor the camp's 15th year of providing free science and engineering education to girls during weeklong summer camps but also its first Tekne award win for excellence in educational programming, and School of Engineering faculty member Dr. John Walker, a key driver of the STEPS program. Walker has been with St. Thomas 28 years. He led the School of Engineering's ABET-accreditation efforts for manufacturing engineering and was a longtime professor in the Engineering in Rome J-Term study abroad program.

In 2013, STEPS, short for Science, Technology and Engineering Preview Summer (STEPS) Camp for Girls, ushered in another milestone in its 15th year, surpassing the 3,000 mark for girls served since the camp's inception.

Tickets for the March 1 celebration cost $10 and may be purchased online.