If there's one myth that Nancy Anderson Smith would like to dispel, it's this one: Girls aren't good at math.

"That is just simply not true," said the director of youth programs at South Dakota School of Mines & Technology in Rapid City. "The opposite is actually the case: In global math contests, the international teams are many times comprised mostly of girls," she said.

Anderson Smith said that a nationwide decrease of the number of engineering and science majors - which also holds true for the School of Mines - makes this summer's Youth Summer Camps all the more vital. The events, scheduled from June through August, are designed for youths from grades 2-12.

"Many middle school and high school students struggle with math and science classes," she said. "And many kids don't understand what engineers and scientists do. These jobs are very hands-on, and we want to show kids that."

Anderson Smith said the camps are also an excellent recruiting tool for the School of Mines.

"Tech is a well-known engineering school, and our graduates are extremely sought after," she said. "Engineers are great problem solvers. They are creators, inventors - very hands-on people. We want to expose kids to the excitement of careers in math and science. Engineering is not sitting in a room working math problems on a piece of paper."

In August, the School of Mines will host 39 high school juniors hand-picked by NASA to learn about engineering and space.

"We have always had a close relationship with NASA," Anderson Smith said. "A number of our alumni work there."

Anderson Smith said that several other engineering schools hold comparable summer camps, but not with the variety of camps that Mines offers.

The $400 fee per weeklong camp is all-inclusive, but scholarships are available, based on financial need and merit. Generally, those who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches may be eligible for scholarships, Anderson Smith said.

Although many camps are full, some have a spot or two still available, so it is not too late to sign up. (See related story for remaining camps).

She said companies such as Boeing and NASA have done a great deal of research on the proper age group to target when it comes to career exploration - and it isn't only for students in high school. "We need to expose 9- to 12-year-olds to math and science careers; that is the age most kids are when they start to become excited about their career options," Anderson Smith said.

About 1,000 students are enrolled in this summer's camps. Over the five years that Mines has offered them, participants have come from 30 states and three countries. Elementary school-age students participate in day camps; middle and high school-age students stay in the dorms and get a chance to experience a bit of what college life is like. School of Mines students instruct and chaperone the camps.

"For some kids, coming to our camps helps increase their comfort level, as far as college goes," Anderson Smith said. "Having students fill the roles of teachers and chaperones helps kids to start to see themselves in college in a few years. When the campers return home, communication with their parents about college often opens up."

Some of the camps, such as computer and engineering, are gender specific. "Research shows that boys and girls have different learning styles and learn at different rates, so the camps run much smoother that way," Anderson Smith said. Others, such as geology, geoscience and space camps, are co-ed.

Middle school girls who took part in a recent engineering camp spent two evenings designing and building a garden shed with representatives of the Black Hills Chapter of the National Association of Women in Construction. The girls were divided into groups of two and given the challenge of designing and building the structure, and also staying within an $18,000 budget.

"They are calculating the square footage of the walls, ceiling, choosing materials, and bidding it as a contractor would," said Loretta Hammerquist, president of the local chapter.

Savannah Jenkins, a North Middle School seventh-grader who said she wants to be a physicist when she grows up, participated in the activity, along with 15 other middle school girls. She said the biggest challenge that the civil-engineering project presented for her was staying under budget.

"I'm a spender," she said.

Savannah said that unlike many kids her age who don't know what they want to be, she has always wanted a career in math or science. "I have big plans, big dreams," she said.

The School of Mines offers a variety of fun programs for kids to learn math and science. Below is the list of upcoming classes and camps for elementary, middle, and high school students:

Elementary classes

Tapestry: Weaving Art & Science (July 20-24, 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m. daily)

Levers & Pendulums (July 28, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.)

A Walk Through Space (Aug. 3, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

Cookie Mining (Aug. 4, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

Build It! (Aug. 5, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.)

Camp Invention (Aug. 10-14, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. daily)

Bouncing Balls (Aug. 17, 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.)

Wild Weather (Aug. 19, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

Middle School classes

STEPS Engineering Camp for Boys (July 19-24)

Space Adventures Camp (July 19-24)

Meteorology Day Camp (Aug. 4-6, 8 a.m.- noon daily)

Chemistry Magic Day Camp (Aug. 7, 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.)

A Walk Through Space (Aug. 10, 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.)

Bombs Away! (Aug. 11, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

Build an Edible Rover (Aug. 12, 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.)

Build a Newspaper Skyscraper (Aug. 17, 1 p.m. - 2 p.m.)

High School classes

STEPS Engineering Camp for Girls (July 19-24)

Space Adventures! Camp (July 26-31)

STEPS Engineering Camp for Boys (July 26-31)

For more information, call Educational Programs at 394-2693 or e-mail eppc@sdsmt.edu.