trek for tech

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Through hands-on problem solving and encounters with women role models in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), AAUW Tech Trek helps girls see their futures while having nonstop fun. This one-week summer camp is backed by AAUW’s  research and designed to make STEM fields exciting and accessible to girls in middle school — the age when girls’ participation in these fields statistically drops. For many girls, the week long camp sparks their curiosity and places them on a path toward success.

AAUW of California member Marie Wolbach founded Tech Trek in 1998 with the help of an  AAUW Community Action Grant . Today AAUW Tech Trek operates at 22 different sites around the nation. A 2013 survey of AAUW Tech Trek alumnae from California demonstrates the program’s lasting effects on many levels, including interest and confidence in STEM fields, decision to pursue those fields, and future career plans.

AAUW Tech Trek alumnae surpass the national average in most advanced math and science courses:

Girls learn about STEM careers that align with their passions and help them solve big problems:

Find AAUW Tech Trek near You

Camps are held in the summer at campuses around the country. All campers are nominated by their seventh-grade math and science teachers. Girls then apply and are selected by a committee. Visit the camp pages below to learn more about getting involved at the local level

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"My Tech Trek experience was awesome!! I got to learn about new things that I have never heard of or seen of. It was really fun." - 2023 Tech Trek Camper

Tech Trek is a residential, STEM program for rising 8th grade girls offered by American Association of University Women (AAUW) Huntsville branch and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

Tech Trek immerses young women in a world that empowers and encourages them to think of themselves as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer specialists. At Tech Trek, campers spend a week on the UAH campus and participate in a core curriculum program as well as workshops, field trips, and a special mentoring night with professional women scientists and engineers. To ensure that a family's financial situation will not prevent participation, Tech Trek only costs $50 per camper.  The actual cost per camper is $8 50 which is raised through grants and sponsors.​

Tech Trek by the Numbers  2023

64 camp ers

18 Alabama counties

16 counselors

4 core classes teachers

7 days of Tech Trek

3 field trips

2 special events (mentoring night, expo)

1 AMAZING EXPERIENCE

2024 Alabama Tech Trek is June 9-15th

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Tech Trek - STEM Camp

Volunteers Needed for Tech Trek

Tech Trek is an exciting week-long, residential, hands-on STEM camp for girls currently in 7th grade who show promise in math science and/or technology.

It’s held at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma where girls live in college dorms for a week during the summer and take classes from an excellent group of female scientists. The camp is designed to create interest, excitement, and confidence in young women at an age where they are sometime likely to drop out of math and science studies.

All girls are sponsored so there are no financial barriers to attending camp.  We are particularly focused on getting girls to camp who might not otherwise be able to attend this type of enrichment.  We look for the girls who would benefit most from this great experience and might not have other opportunities.

Seattle Branch sponsors around 10 girls each year from schools in the greater Seattle area.  The process starts in January. It costs $1000 for each girl to attend camp.  If you would like to donate to Tech Trek here’s how.  All amounts are appreciated.  Donate to Tech Trek.

Tech Trek is an AAUW program going on in a number of states nationwide.  AAUW-WA coordinates our camp.  There are generally three camps held in July and August.  Two camps are held at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma and another one at Eastern Washington University, Cheney.  More information on Tech Trek Wa

Daily Life at Tech Trek – by Tonna Kutner

Here’s a description of daily life at Tech Trek and some pictures from one of our Dorm Monitors to give you a better idea or what goes on at this wonderful experience.

Tech Trek is a week long summer science camp for girls between 7th and 8th grade.  The teachers are all women scientists and the camp is designed to keep girls enthusiastic and engaged in science and math.  AAUW Washington manages the camp and AAUW branches throughout the state sponsor girls so they can attend regardless of their financial status.

I had the “opportunity” to go to our week-long Tech Trek camp this summer as a “Dorm Monitor.”  I must say, having no children of my own, this was out of my comfort zone and I was a little worried.  But looking back now, there were some highs and lows, but all-in-all it was a wonderful experience and I’m glad I volunteered.  It was at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma with 64 girls between 7th and 8th grade.

There were ten girls in my wing of the dorm along with a student counselor who was a wonderful asset.  She had just graduated from high school and was very interested and well informed on astronomy.  She was also really good with the girls.  We called our group “Apollo 4.”  We thought we had the best group.  They were very interesting and pretty well behaved all around.  There was one scary night where two girls woke up and knocked on my door.  Someone had yelled and screamed outside the dorms for a few seconds and it reminded the girls of a bad experience.  After a while they calmed down and got back to sleep.  Mostly it was pretty quiet at night.

There were five other wings with Dorm Monitors and Student Counselors so you can imagine it was a very busy place.  The girls broke up into 5 different groups called “core” groups and most mornings they went to classes in their core groups which were Stardust Astronomy, Robotics Engineering, Bodies by Design, App Inventor, and Cyber Security.

The Student Counselors went with the girls to their core classes while the Dorm Monitors reviewed the schedule for the day with our leaders. We usually had an hour or two free before it was time to meet the girls for lunch.  In the afternoon the Dorm Monitors accompanied the girls to classes and the Student Counselors some free time.

There were two afternoon classes ranging from mini-versions of the other core classes to extracting their own DNA (really) and genetic studies on “ReBops” which are creatures made of marshmallows, pipe cleaners and other interesting stuff.  One group had the opportunity to dissect pig hearts.  They were looking for heart strings which open and close the heart valves and, what do you know, they found them!  All the groups were different so I always had to know how many were in my group and keep counting to make sure everyone was there.

Wednesday was a different sort of day.  We did some finance activities provided by Financial Beginnings Washington exploring budgets for clothing, housing, student debt and other expenses – it was a fun and informative.  Then we went on field trips.  Half went to look at marine life and the group I went with got to go to the Museum of Flight.  The girls got to file flight plans, run a checklist on an airplane, do experiments on various aspects of flight and then fly (and sometimes crash) in a flight simulator.

That evening we had pizza and then saw a movie together.  It was “Hidden Figures” and the all-girl audience was just great and applauded and cheered in all the right places.

Thursday night was career night where 17 women scientists came and spoke to the girls and they were able to ask questions.  This was a real eye-opener and a great experience for everyone.  The last night we went out to see the stars and got to look at the moon through a telescope.

Although I was exhausted when I got home and slept for three hours before I even unpacked my car, I think I’ll go for it again next year.  I feel this is such a worthwhile program and makes such a positive difference for the girls who participate in camp.

Our branch sent eight girls this year and we hope to send ten next year.  We will need more help working with middle schools and interviewing girls and parents if we are going to accomplish this goal.  Please offer to help if you can.  Most of the work happens between January and March.

The girls wrote wonderful letters of thanks to our branch – I’ll include just one to let you know how important and life changing this camp is for the girls – the drawings are hers too:

Dear AAUW Seattle Branch: This week has been such a fantastic and eye-opening experience, and I wouldn’t have been able to be at Tech Trek without your kind donations.  This week I learned about what it is to be a woman in STEM.  I participated in Astronomy, Biology, Coding and Technology classes.  I never knew that there were so many fields of STEM, and that all of them are so interesting!  This week I also made so many supportive friends who helped me to say strong even when I didn’t get my first-choice of class, and I loved it anyways!  Tech Trek is so amazing and it allows girls/women to be confident in STEM and that it’s ok to make mistakes because these are the things that help you progress!

©2024 American Association of University Women - Seattle Branch

• Site by NetRaising : a web consultancy

https://aauw-seattle.org/what-we-do/tech-trek Printed 4/03/24 - 9:35:25 © 2024 American Association of University Women - Seattle Branch

Is Tech Trek right for my daughter?

Tech Trek is an exciting and engaging one-week summer camp for girls featuring hands-on science and technology classes, a fun and educational field trip, opportunities to meet inspiring women role models, and a unique college campus experience. To attend, families need only pay a $50.00 registration fee.

Your daughter is a good fit for Tech Trek if she is currently in the 7 th grade and interested in math and science with the potential to excel. Tech Trek is looking for girls who have not had the opportunity for experiences like Tech Trek before, but are excited by the opportunity to try something new, learn new things, and challenge herself. The ideal Tech Trek camper cooperates with teachers, shows respect for other students, regularly participates in class discussions, and makes positive choices for herself in and out of class. To apply, girls must be nominated by their science or math teacher.

• “My experience was amazing. The counselors, dorm monitors, and teachers were awesome. I made lots of friends and learned about STEM and teamwork.”
• “I made a lot of new life-long friends. I have learned a lot and it was an unforgettable experience.”

Tech Trek Really Works!

We surveyed girls who attended Tech Trek in California several years after they attended Tech Trek. The results speak for themselves :

• 82% of girls chose to take more science classes in high school because of Tech Trek
• 91% of girls reported that Tech Trek boosted their self-confidence in their ability to be successful in science classes
• 77% of girls say that Tech Trek increased their interest in technology
• 87% of girls say that Tech Trek introduced them to new STEM careers
• 96% of Tech Trek alumnae go to college

Learn more about AAUW’s Tech Trek camps: Tech Trek in AL – AAUW Huntsville (AL) Branch At University of Alabama in Huntsville Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, Davis Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At California State University, Fresno Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, Irvine Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, San Diego Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, Santa Barbara Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At Sonoma State University Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At Stanford University Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At Whittier College Tech Trek in FL – AAUW of Florida At Palm Beach State College Tech Trek in IA – AAUW Storm Lake (IA) Branch At Buena Vista University Tech Trek in NJ – AAUW Atlantic County (NJ) Branch At Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Tech Trek in NM – AAUW of New Mexico At New Mexico Tech Tech Trek in OH – AAUW Bowling Green (OH) Branch At Bowling Green State University Tech Trek in OR – AAUW Tillamook (OR) Branch At Tillamook Bay Community College Tech Trek in WA – AAUW Washington At Pacific Lutheran University and Eastern Washington University

Annual Reports

Download the Tech Trek 2011 Annual Report Download the Tech Trek 2012 Annual Report

Campus Recreation Center

Tech Trek expeditions are for first year students only.  Many students embrace them as ideal experiences to help with their transition from high school to their initial year at Georgia Tech.  These experiences are coordinated by ORGT, the CRC's Outdoor Program. Tech Treks can be a powerful kick-off to a great experience at Georgia Tech.

Since 2008, Tech Trek experiences have launched many successful Tech journeys. Whether climbing glaciers in Alaska, whitewater rafting in Montana, or caving in Tennessee, such adventures sometimes reveal hidden strengths. ORGT has led 130 expeditions, visited 23 countries, and trekked on all seven continents.

Special Instructions for registering for Tech Treks before you have a student account: Tech Treks Registration Information

Our History

In 2007 the CRC piloted the first 'Freshman Only" expedition. The group spent twelve days immersed in the Alaskan wilderness whitewater rafting, backpacking, and ice climbing. We intended this to be a once-in-a-lifetime jumpstart to a great first year at Tech. To our surprise, though, participants got far more than they imagined! Not only did trekkers come home with incredible memories of traveling through some of the most beautiful places on earth, but they  start thei r first semester at Tech with gr eat and trusted  friends o n campus with whom they'd  hiked, climbed, and rafted. That wasn't even the best part, though. That first year, they discovered that rising to challenges in Alaska put them in touch with skills and confidence that applied directly to successfully meeting the rigors of Georgia Tech. They told us that after their Alaska trek, they were more resilient and better prepared to face challenges. When they encountered tough things like exams and projects, they reflected on their Alaska experiences and were reminded that they had strength to push through just about anything.

What Makes Tech Treks Powerful?

Against the backdrop of gorgeous wilderness, our student leaders share ideas and answer questions about how to succeed at Georgia Tech: 

• Best ways to interact with professors
• Using academic support services
• Making friends and getting connected
• Incentives for campus-wide interactions
• Involvement in clubs and organizations
• Making the most of your time at Tech 

Mountaintop and Campfire discussions explore:

• Self-confidence 
• Critical thinking
• Decision making 
• Relationships

Overcoming Challenges at Georgia Tech

The skills required to succeed when travelling through unfamiliar wilderness aren't those required to successfully navigate the academic rigors of Georgia Tech. Adventure experiences challenge students to push themselves and to think what makes them strong in tough situations. We believe that when individuals test their capacities and think about that experience, that their awareness is sharpened and they are better prepared then to harness their unique strengths to better overcome future challenges. 

Many have shared that their experiences better prepared them for success at Tech. They also told us that friendships forged while trekking through the wilds were the kind likely to last for years and years. 

July 9 - 19, 2024. 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!  

An 11-day Alaskan adventure that includes backpacking, ice climbing, and whitewater rafting in the heart of some of the most spectacular scenery in the world.  Past year's trekkers attribute skills learned on the trip to starting their year at Tech with greater confidence, more friends, and knowledge of their strengths.

June 18 - 26, 2024.

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!

A 9-day trip exploring the remote wilds of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness and other areas in or around Rocky Mountain National Park, trip also includes whitewater rafting on the Arkansas River, hiking to a remote alpine lake, and more.

Southeast (Revamped)

*We will resume offering open-enrollment Tech Treks Southeast in Summer 2024.  In the course of any year, ORGT offers more than 100 open-enrollment day and overnight adventures on weekends through the school year.

We will lead Tech Treks a number of these popular "Southeast" events--a staple of our summer opportunities for incoming first years since 2008--but registration is currently closed.  These programs, typically feature 4 days of adventure -- whitewater rafting, GT's leadership challenge course, rock climbing, caving and other adventures. It's the stuff of lasting memories and enduring friendships.

We encourage you to join ORGT for day-long or overnight adventures throughout the year.

Welcome to the Tech Trek Florida Website!

Important news about the two 2024 tech trek camps.

The first 2024 Tech Trek Florida Camp will be on the campus of Stetson University in Deland from Sunday, June 9th through Saturday June 15. The second camp will be on Sunday June 16th through through June 22nd on the campus of Florida Atlantic University in Jupiter. There will be 48 girls at each camp. Science and Math teachers should identify 7th grade girls who have displayed an interest science in their classes and been identified as good candidates to attend a science camp attend and should have submitted their names to the Tech Trek Committee by December 15th. There is a limit of five girls per school. The Committee will email these girls an application which must be completed and returned to the Committee by January 31, 2024

 Recap of the Tech Trek 2023 STEM Camp

This  June there were two very successful in person Tech Trek camps for girls who entered the 8th  grade in the fall.  The first camp, Sunday  June 11th to Saturday the 17th, was at Stetson University in Deland, Florida.  The second camp, held  Sunday June 18th until Saturday 24th,  was at Flo rida Atlantic University in Jupiter.  There about the same number of girls at each camp.  They lived in campus dorms, ate their meals in the student cafeteria, utilized the University classrooms and labs for their core classes and workshops. The core classes and workshops at the camps were similar but not identical. Each camp had a professional STEM women’s dinner where each table was composed of a group of girls and a couple of STEM professionals. The girls selected to attend one of the camps were notified by Saturday March 25th.

  Core Courses at the Florida Atlantic University Camp

The Core Courses to be held at the  2024 Tech Trek Camp are: Qualcomm Wearable Tech, Structural Engineering. Neuroscience and Mar ine Biolo gy.

Workshops at the Florida Atlantic University Camp

The descriptions and schedule for the workshops available at the 2024 Tech Trek Camp will be announced after February 1, 2024.

Core Courses at Stetson University Camp

The Core Courses available on the 2024 Tech Trek Camp are: Qualcomm Thinkabit Lab,  Marine Science, Forensic Science, and Environmental  Science .  Workshops at the Stetson University Camp

The descriptions and schedule for the workshops available at the 2024 Tech Trek Camp  will be announced after February 1, 2024.

 If you would like to see the presentation about the 2023 Camp , go to https://flipgrid.com/5e3992b4 .

Federal income tax-deductible contributions for the two 2024 camps may be mailed to Tech Trek, c/o AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation, Inc, PO Box 126, Palm City, FL 334991. Checks must be made payable to the AAUW Florida Supporting Foundation, Inc. with Tech Trek noted on the memo line. 

Camp History

AAUW has been a leader in the effort to interest more young girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  The first summer Tech Trek camp was held on the campus of California’s Stanford University in 1998. Now there are ten California camps and ten additional camps scattered around the United States. Thanks to very generous sponsors and supportive donors, families pay only a $50 fee to send a girl to camp so that girls from a wide range of backgrounds are able to attend.

2023 campers at university

2024 Camp Coming Up July 14-20 at Pacific Lutheran University campus. Our branch teams are contacting schools starting January 2024. See FLYER for schools sample…

Forms for employment and schools, click here…, enjoy 2023 camp pictures and videos….

Camp is designed around STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to increase interest, excitement and self-confidence in young women who will enter the eighth grade in the fall. It features hands-on learning and focusing on current hot topics for career exploration. The six-night sleep away camp is located on a college campus using dorms, laboratories, recreation and dining facilities.

Tech Trek introduces girls to local successful female STEM professionals, teaches girls that their intellectual skills will grow over time, and demonstrates that it is possible to break traditional female career stereotypes.

AAUW branches in Washington state recruit campers and raise the funds to support all their camp expenses (over $1000 per camper) with the exception of a $50 registration fee. Branches work with seventh-grade math and science teachers from local middle schools for nominations of girls interested in STEM. Once nominated, the girls enter the process of selection by submitting an application and essay and meeting branch members during a personal interview.

This camp model has operated in Washington for many years and over 1000 campers have attended the camp with 95% sponsorship from local AAUW branches. The program requires approximately $200,000 annually to operate and we are funded by individuals, companies, corporations, foundations, and service organizations. CLICK here to find out how to help this camp continue to succeed and provide future STEM leaders.

Questions? [email protected]

We’re looking for top-of-the-line service techs to join the Trek family at one of our awesome retail locations! We currently have over 100 open positions across the country, and we're excited to add new, experienced talent to our ever-growing team. Plus, we’ll pay for your relocation if you find your perfect fit somewhere new. As a bike mechanic at Trek, no two days are the same. You’ll get to use your unique skills to help get more people on bikes and ensure they love every ride. Sound like your kinda gig? Come join us!

What you’ll get

Work you can feel good about

The world is better with bikes, and in this role you’ll experience the satisfaction of helping customers find a bike they love and keeping it rolling for years to come.

Awesome environment

We have a strict no a**holes rule at Trek, which means you’ll get to collaborate with fantastic, bikeminded people in a fun and challenging work environment.

Incredible discounts

If you love bikes (we’re assuming you do), you’re gonna love this. All Trek employees get amazing discounts on bikes and gear, starting on their date of hire.

Limitless opportunity

When you work at Trek, there are plenty of ways to grow in your career, and you’re encouraged to take advantage of educational opportunities that help you do so, like paid training at the Trek Certified Service facility at Trek HQ.

What you’ll do

Have the opportunity to get first-rate bike mechanic training through our Trek Certified Service program.

Troubleshoot repairs and service all types of bikes.

Use your top-notch listening and communication skills to deliver stellar hospitality and build lasting relationships with customers.

Continually learn proper service methods and new technologies while using your impressive attention to detail and love for tinkering to figure out any fix.

Safety first

The safety and wellbeing of our team members is our top priority. That’s why we make everyone wear helmets at all times. Just kidding—but we are taking serious measures to keep everyone rolling responsibly.

Daily wellness checks

We’re checking employee temperatures at the beginning of each shift, and all full-time employees have 24-hour access to medical experts via a mobile app.

Social distancing

We’re keeping the number of people in our stores to a minimum and practicing social distancing at all times.

Enhanced cleaning procedures

All stores and staff are following enhanced cleaning procedures based on local health department guidelines.

Mandatory mask requirements

We have masks available in all of our stores and are requiring all customers and employees to wear a facial covering of some kind.

A little bit about us

At Trek, our mission is to build only products we love, provide incredible hospitality to our customers, and change the world by getting more people on bikes. Take a look at the stories behind the brand below.

Trek heritage

Born in a barn and raised on rocket science, Trek has come a long way since its humble beginnings in Waterloo, WI.

Social responsibility

We believe bikes are a simple solution to many of the world's most complex problems, and that through the bicycle we can change our world for the better.

We are dedicated to learning, changing, and taking action in order to work towards racial equity—and this begins with committing to a plan to address systemic racism.

Better with Bikes Podcast

The Better with Bikes podcast delivers the best behind-the-scenes stories of some of the most influential and unlikely figures in our sport.

2021 Tech Trek will be Virtual For more information click  HERE   to go to the 2021 Virtual Camp website. Virtual Tech Trek is designed to provide campers with exposure to computer science and engineering, along with workshops designed to explore individual STEM specialties more deeply using a hands-on or interactive approach. Hands-on activities, inspirational speakers, and interactive workshops help to make STEM subjects fun as well as educational. Trained instructors and coaching staff including near-peer Tech Trek alumnae, work alongside credentialed teachers, and women in STEM-related careers. This is a week-long virtual camp for rising 8th grade girls. The camp is centered on a morning  project-based robotics/engineering/coding class that meets daily and results in a personalized creation by week’s end. After lunch, the campers hear from inspirational women for an hour, then participate in one or more 90-minute hands-on or interactive science, technology, engineering, and math workshops to encourage fun while learning.  They can return for evening workshops with girls from another country, social activities, or even parent sessions. While the university campus continues to be an integral component of the Tech Trek experience, it is one that must be forgone this year.  The virtual camp addresses an equally critical component:  exposure to STEM subjects in a welcoming community. Under the careful supervision of trained coaching staff in a low 3:1 camper-to-staff ratio, and using kits distributed prior to camp, the campers will interact with women who model a high degree of science, technology, engineering, or math expertise as part of their daily lives. In 2021, three Monday-Friday weeks are currently scheduled: June 21-25 July 12-16 July 26-30 Each camp will serve approximately 300 campers from all over California. Students at participating schools are nominated by their teachers. Parents can contact the middle school guidance counselor or science teacher or their  local branch  to see if their school is participating. The nomination and selection process will begin after January 2021.

“I had always been worried about going into a male-dominated field,” said one camper in Washington. “Tech Trek has made me feel more confident about my abilities in STEM and has made me want to follow my dreams of becoming a medical engineer.” – Former Tech Trek Camper At Tech Trek, girls are immersed in a world that empowers and encourages them to think about themselves as future scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and computer specialists. Tech Trek is a science and math camp designed to develop interest, excitement, and self-confidence in young women who will enter eighth grade in the fall. It features hands-on activities in math, science, and related fields. All sleeping, eating, instructional, and recreational facilities are located on a university campus where camps are held. Tech Trek is a project of AAUW California. Where do we find our campers? All girls attend Tech Trek camps with sponsorships provided by AAUW California branch members, working with participating middle schools in their area. Seventh grade science and/or math teachers at these schools recommend camper candidates who must then pass through an extensive qualification process that includes an application, an essay, and a personal interview. Camp curriculum is targeted specifically at girls entering 8th grade. AAUW branches are not always able to work with every local school, either because the principal, counselors, and/or teachers choose not to, or because there are too many schools and too few sponsorships available in the local area. Girls must attend the camp at which the local AAUW branch has made reservations. Organizations, unions, groups of teachers, etc., may become Tech Trek sponsors by raising funds for a specific group of students. Contact the coordinators at [email protected] for details. Parents cannot pay for their daughters to attend Tech Trek, all campers must attend a participating California school. What is Tech Trek? Since 1998 AAUW Tech Trek camps have been designed to help girls continue their interests in science, math, engineering & technology (STEM) exploration and learning, through the tricky years when new distractions enter their lives. Studies have shown that girls’ interests can be sustained if they are exposed to the careers available to women in science today. Tech Trek provides some of that exposure. We hope they will consider entering the STEM fields which are currently under-represented by women. (See Why So Few , a recent AAUW study: www.aauw.org/research/why-so-few/ ) Also, a week’s stay on an exciting college campus helps girls picture themselves on such a campus and visualize college in their future. This is especially important for girls whose family members have not gone to college or university.

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Everything to Remember Before Star Trek: Discovery Returns for Its Final Season

This week, Star Trek: Discovery boldly goes for one final adventure . After years of waiting—and knowing that this fifth season would be its last—the Trek show that launched the franchise’s current renaissance will begin its victory lap. But before that, it has been a while since Discovery was last on our screens—so here’s everything important to remember.

The 32nd Century Is Here to Stay

This one depends on how long you’ve been away from Discovery, really, but I’m sure there’s someone out there intrigued by the final season of a Star Trek show who’s maybe either not watched since the early days or wants to jump in on the last leg. So, if that’s you... well, go watch the rest of the show first. It has its moments.

But if you insist: Discovery has not been the pre-original-Trek show it started out as for a long while now. At the end of season two, the crew and the Discovery itself were flung far, far into the future in order to close the loop on a potential galaxy-ending threat that meant they could never return to their original timeline in the 23rd century. Ever since, they have been at the furthest point a Star Trek show has ever consistently gone to, even beyond the far future glimpsed in Enterprise’s Temporal Cold War storyline: the 32nd century.

Things are, to be clear, not 100% great at this moment in time, state of the galaxy-wise. Before Discovery showed up, the Federation’s myriad member worlds and Starfleet had been completely torn apart by a cataclysmic event called “The Burn,” the simultaneous detonation of dilithium across known space which rendered warp travel—and thus the existence of interstellar society as it had existed for over a thousand years—extremely difficult.

Discovery helped solve that problem, slowly but surely allowing Starfleet to rebuild, but not before it faced another cataclysmic threat called the Dark Matter Anomaly, or DMA, a not-so-random “random” gravitational event that kept showing up and destroying entire worlds in storms of debris and chaos. Turns out the DMA was actually the product of an extra-galactic race known only as the Ten-C, which, once again, Discovery helped solve the problem with after successfully making First Contact with the beings. Hopefully things calm down a bit in terms of existence-threatening cataclysms in season five!

The Vulcans and Humans Just Nearly Lost Their Homes

Speaking of that, Discovery’s fourth season climaxed with both Earth and Ni’Var—the rechristened homeworld of the Vulcans and Romulans, who have been re-united as sibling peoples by the 32nd century—under the direct threat of the DMA, necessitating the almost total-evacuation of the worlds as they faced destruction from showers of debris. Thanks to Captain Burnham and the Discovery crew’s intervention, the DMA was stopped just before all this happened—and most of the populations of Earth and Ni’Var, but not all of them, had been evacuated by Starfleet.

We don’t know quite how much time has passed between the events of season four and five (it’s been over two years in reality, hence why you’re reading this catchup post), but don’t be surprised if at least some of this doesn’t get mentioned in early episodes as the universe and our heroes continue to deal with the ramifications. One of which being...

Earth Is Joining the Federation (Again)

One of the final scenes of Discovery’s fourth season saw Captain Burnham and various Federation dignitaries play host to the arrival of the President of United Earth—as the world seeks to rejoin the Federation, as a show of thanks for Starfleet’s aid during the DMA crisis. It turns out that after the events of the Burn in the time between Discovery season two and three, Earth was one of the first member worlds to secede from the Federation, transforming itself into an isolationist, inward-looking, paranoid militaristic society that remained increasingly skeptical of the Federation’s capacity to survive over the course of seasons three and four. At least, until it got to see first-hand what unity and co-operation could still do in this changed and put-upon galaxy.

Also, this probably won’t come up in season five, but we should note that the President of United Earth who engages in this process to rejoin the Federation is played by famous Georgia Democrat (and avowed Trekkie) Stacey Abrams . Please do not try to think about squaring that with everything I just said about United Earth’s political attitudes, because Discovery sure as hell didn’t.

Michael and Book Are Parting... But Not for Long

One of the more emotional fallouts of season four’s plot with the DMA was the anomaly’s destruction of the planet Kwejian—the homeworld of Cleveland “Book” Booker, played by David Ajala, the smuggler turned paramour of Captain Burnham over the course of Discovery’s third and fourth seasons. The loss of his home drove Book to surreptitiously betray Burnham and Starfleet to work with the rogue scientist Ruon Tarka, as they worked on a way to completely dissipate the DMA even after its true nature and extragalactic origins were discovered.

Booker saw the light by the end of the season, and nearly died in the process alongside Tarka, but after being saved by the Ten-C he turned himself over to the Federation to pay for siding with Tarka—pulling from Burnham’s side and from the home he’d made with her on Discovery, and assigned to community service, aiding Federation relief efforts on Europa for families impacted by the DMA’s fallout.

Good for You, Saru

Speaking of romantic dalliances, season four played up a lingering connection between Michael’s trusted friend and first officer, Saru, and Ambassador T’Rina, Ni’Var’s representative to the Federation—and after much invites to tea and will-they-won’t-they, finally made their feelings for each other clear in the finale of season four. Presumably that means we’ll get to see a lot more of the pair together in the final season—and the interesting romantic struggles of what happens when a senior officer on a starship and a Federation ambassador start courting. Hopefully there’s a happy ending for our put-upon Kelpian hero.

One of Discovery’s Most Unique Technologies Is No More

One of the major technological aspects of Discovery introduced from the very beginning was its use of a “Spore Drive”—an unprecedented method of FTL travel that allowed the ship to avoid typical warp travel and issues and instead navigate its way along a mycelial network across subspace, allowing everything from long range travel to precise realspace jumping across. The Spore Drive made Discovery unique as a ship, both in its original time when the technology was first being secretly developed and even far into the 32nd century—especially after the events of the Burn made regular long-distance FTL through warp drives impossible at scale.

But during the events of season four’s finale, both the known Spore Drives in existence—the Discovery’s and the one implemented into Book’s ship—were sacrificed in the attempt to stop Dr. Tarka’s plans to destroy the DMA. Discovery still has traditional warp drives as a back up for the Spore Drive, but still, the loss of what became a key defining part of Discovery’s worldbuilding will no doubt come up in season five.

Tilly’s Back

The beloved former cadet (now Lieutenant JG, by the time of season four) Sylvia Tilly shocked Discovery fans when she seemingly left the show early into the last season , when she took an offered teaching position at the re-building Starfleet Academy. While Tilly was absent for much of season four, she did return for the finale, helping Starfleet command in the evacuation of Earth, and celebrated with her former crewmates. Just how and why remains to be seen, but we do known from Tilly actress Mary Wiseman that she does indeed return to the Discovery during season five, but whatever happens, it may not be the last of Tilly we see, even as the show ends, because...

The Journey Never Ends

Star Trek’s future is wide open right now , as the franchise navigates the ends of Discovery and Picard and looks to a future that balances together streaming shows, made-for-streaming movies like Section 31 and a potential Picard continuation, and multiple attempts to bring Trek back to theatrical superstardom. But one key part of that is crucial to Discovery: its exploration of the 32nd century won’t end when it does.

The one brand-new show we know is definitely still part of Trek’s future at the moment is Starfleet Academy , set to begin filming this year, and will follow the prestigious institute during the 32nd century time period, rather than going back to the Trek eras established in other shows. That’s all we know at this point—we don’t know if Mary Wiseman could potentially be a key star for the series, or anyone else affiliated with Discovery, or even which students will be the focus of the series. But it does mean that even as Discovery bids farewell, the world it has established will keep boldly going beyond it.

Star Trek: Discovery season five premieres April 4 on Paramount+.

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CATL launches new EV battery with close to a 1 million mile, 15-year lifespan

Leading EV battery maker CATL released its new breakthrough battery pack with up to a nearly 1 million mile (1.5 million km), 15-year warranty.

CATL, Yutong launch new long-life EV battery

CATL launched the battery pack with Yutung Bus Co to power commercial vehicles like buses and different classes of trucks.

Yutong, one of China’s largest bus makers, said the new battery packs will be used in upcoming electric vehicles. According to the company, the new long-lasting EV battery has zero degradation through the first 1,000 cycles.

The new EV battery pack, made with CATL, has a 932,000 mile (1.5 million km), 15-year warranty. Yutong calls the long-life battery an industry first.

The bus manufacturer introduced another battery with a 10-year and 621,000 mile (1 million km) lifespan.

CATL and Yutong first established a ten-year partnership in 2012 to jointly develop commercial vehicle batteries while exploring new tech and materials. The partners plan to leverage their resources to expand overseas with new vehicles and batteries.

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Advancing battery tech

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Top comment by 🇺🇦 = 🇵🇸 Neale Upstone 💚

There's a lot to unpack here, but the 1.5 giga-metre battery (yes, Elon, you missed the "gigabattery" at 1 million km as a brand) is not the thing that struck me.

What struck me was a 50% reduction in cell prices for LFP.

Who cares about 1m or 1.5m km when we can expect 500,000 km out of a battery TODAY.

This is already way better than your diesel or should I say DIEsel engine needing $1500 parts replacing at 50,000km.

What matters is that people can produce enough batteries at a price that puts EVs at a price that is attractive for >50% of car buyers.

Last summer, CATL unveiled its new “Shenxing Superfast Charging Battery.” The new LFP battery can add 248 miles (400 km) range in 10 minutes.

In January, CATL said it would reduce the cost of LFP battery cells per kWh by a whopping 50% by the middle of this year.

After unveiling its battery strategy last month, NIO announced a partnership with CATL to develop long-life EV batteries. The news comes as NIO’s first 900V electric drive system rolled off the production line last week, with a five-minute fast charge that can add 150 miles (255 km) range.

Source: TheDriven , CnEVPost , Yutong Group

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

Peter Johnson is covering the auto industry’s step-by-step transformation to electric vehicles. He is an experienced investor, financial writer, and EV enthusiast. His enthusiasm for electric vehicles, primarily Tesla, is a significant reason he pursued a career in investments. If he isn’t telling you about his latest 10K findings, you can find him enjoying the outdoors or exercising

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Tech Trek Announces New Logo!

November 18, 2022

Tech Trek has a new look and feel for the 2023 camp season that speaks to the STEMpowerment everyone who participates feels as a result of the experience.  As we get ready to enter Tech Trek’s 25th year, we recognize that what has sustained the program for this long is the commitment of its members and alumnae because it made or makes such a difference to them.

The original logo concept was submitted by McKenna Rose, a 2022 camper selected by the Five Cities-Pismo Beach branch. Her teacher noted that “McKenna Rose is a courageous Next Generation Scientist…. McKenna’s communication skills are advanced along with her passion for hands-on discovery.”

We thank McKenna for her brilliant design and passion.

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BMW And Tata Form JV To Create Software For Autonomous Systems And Other Tech

Tata Technologies will develop autonomous systems, infotainment tech, and digital services for BMW

by Sebastien Bell

• BMW and Tata Technologies will form a 50/50 joint venture in India.
• The JV will develop software for autonomous vehicles, infotainment systems, and in-vehicle digital services.
• Three offices will be opened in Pune, Bangalore, and Chennai.

BMW and Tata Technologies have signed an agreement to form a joint venture company that will develop software for the German automaker. The company will work on code for autonomous driving, infotainment, and in-vehicle digital services.

The joint venture will establish locations in Pune, Bangalore, and Chennai, India . The primary development and operations activities will take place in the first two locations. Chennai will focus on developing software for business and IT solutions, with an emphasis on digitalization and automation of product development, production, and sales.

Read: BMW And Mercedes Finalize Joint Venture For Chinese EV Charging Network

“Our collaboration with Tata Technologies will accelerate our progress in the field of the software defined vehicle,” said Christoph Grote, senior vice president of software for the BMW group . “In international comparison, India boasts a large number of talents with outstanding software skills, who can contribute to our software competence.”

Tata Technologies and BMW will each own a 50 percent stake in the business but, to start, it will be staffed by 100 trained professionals from the Indian company. That will allow the joint venture to contribute to software projects immediately, but it will eventually grow to employ thousands of software engineers.

“In the evolving automotive landscape, the journey towards software-defined vehicle represents a pivotal shift in automotive software and vehicle development methodologies,” said Nachiket Paranjpe, Tata Tech’s president of automotive sales. “We will leverage our deep domain knowledge and SDV expertise to collaborate with the BMW Group towards engineering vehicles that are not just technologically advanced but deliver exceptional experiences to consumers around the globe.”

BMW says that working with Tata Technologies will not only provide with software engineering expertise, but that the location of the joint venture’s offices will allow it to run 24/7 operations. The automaker currently has software hubs in Germany, the U.S., South Africa, Portugal, china, and India, per Autonews . It also operates an assembly plant in Chennai.

“The expansion of international DevOps hubs has clearly proved to be a successful model for the BMW Group,” said Alexander Buresch, CIO and Senior Vice President of BMW Group IT. “I am therefore extremely pleased that we have found a strong and valued technology partner with Tata Technologies and are now also expanding our footprint in India.”

Tata Technologies is a subsidiary of Tata Motors, India’s biggest automaker. It provides software help to companies in a variety of industries, including automotive, aeronautics, and heavy machinery.

About Tech Trek Camps

Discover AAUW’s mission and vision , learn more about our upcoming Tech Trek camp , and view our camp model !

Is Tech Trek right for my daughter?

Tech Trek is an exciting and engaging one-week summer camp for girls featuring hands-on science and technology classes, a fun and educational field trip, opportunities to meet inspiring women role models, and a unique college campus experience. To attend, families need only pay a $50.00 registration fee.

Your daughter is a good fit for Tech Trek if she is currently in the 7 th grade and interested in math and science with the potential to excel. Tech Trek is looking for girls who have not had the opportunity for experiences like Tech Trek before, but are excited by the opportunity to try something new, learn new things, and challenge herself. The ideal Tech Trek camper cooperates with teachers, shows respect for other students, regularly participates in class discussions, and makes positive choices for herself in and out of class. To apply, girls must be nominated by their science or math teacher.

• “It was amazing! I really feel it opened my eyes to all the possible careers I might be interested in. I feel accomplished because I really did something that will improve my future.”
• “My experience at Tech Trek was awesome! We learned about all the different types of engineering and science. It was so cool!”

Tech Trek Really Works!

Ryan Gagnon and Alexandra Sandoval recently published “Pre-college STEM Camps as Developmental Context” in Children and Youth Services Review 108 (2020) 104584   http://www.elsevier.com/locate/childyouth

We surveyed girls who attended Tech Trek in California several years after they attended Tech Trek. The results speak for themselves :

• 82% of girls chose to take more science classes in high school because of Tech Trek
• 91% of girls reported that Tech Trek boosted their self-confidence in their ability to be successful in science classes
• 77% of girls say that Tech Trek increased their interest in technology
• 87% of girls say that Tech Trek introduced them to new STEM careers
• 96% of Tech Trek alumnae go to college

Learn more about AAUW’s Tech Trek camps:

• Tech Trek in AL – AAUW Huntsville (AL) Branch At University of Alabama in Huntsville
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, Davis
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At California State University, Fresno
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, Irvine
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, San Diego
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At University of California, Santa Barbara
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At Sonoma State University
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At Stanford University
• Tech Trek in CA – AAUW of California At Whittier College
• Tech Trek in FL – AAUW of Florida At Palm Beach State College
• Tech Trek in IA – AAUW Storm Lake (IA) Branch At Buena Vista University
• Tech Trek in NJ – AAUW Atlantic County (NJ) Branch At Richard Stockton College of New Jersey
• Tech Trek in NM – AAUW of New Mexico At New Mexico Tech
• Tech Trek in OH – AAUW Bowling Green (OH) Branch At Bowling Green State University
• Tech Trek in OR – AAUW Tillamook (OR) Branch At Tillamook Bay Community College
• Tech Trek in WA – AAUW Washington At Pacific Lutheran University and Eastern Washington University

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

Star Trek might have predicted the future of AI

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Forget the Simpsons – Star Trek was right.

Researchers say different artificial intelligence (AI) units will one day team up and share information with each other, just like the Borg. 

The Borg are cybernetic organisms in Star Trek, who operate through a linked hive-mind known as ‘The Collective’. 

But a new study from the Universities of Loughborough, Yale, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said that we are set to see the emergence of a ‘collective AI’. 

This is where different units, each capable of learning and gaining new skills, can form a network and share information via a common language. 

However, they believe it will not bring about the end of humanity, as often the case with collective minds in sci-fi shows.

The researchers predict that the collective AI will lead to many positive breakthroughs across different fields. 

Loughborough University’s Dr Andrea Soltoggio, the research lead, said: ‘Instant knowledge sharing across a collective network of AI units capable of continuously learning and adapting to new data will enable rapid responses to novel situations, challenges, or threats.

‘For example, in a cybersecurity setting if one AI unit identifies a threat, it can quickly share knowledge and prompt a collective response, much like how the human immune system protects the body from outside invaders.

‘It could also lead to the development of disaster response robots that can quickly adapt to the conditions they are dispatched in, or personalised medical agents that improve health outcomes by merging cutting-edge medical knowledge with patient-specific information.

‘The potential applications are vast and exciting.’

However, the researchers do note there could be some risks that come with collective AI, such as the swift spread of potentially unethical or incorrect knowledge. 

However, they say that, in their vision, the AI units could stay safe by maintaining their own objectives and independence from the collective.

Dr Soltoggio describes this as ‘a democracy of AI agents, significantly reducing the risks of an AI domination by few large systems.’

The AI Collective differs from the current large AI models, such as ChatGPT, which have limited lifelong learning and knowledge-sharing capabilities, the researchers said. 

They explain that ChatGPT and similar models gain most of their knowledge during energy-intense training sessions and are unable to continue learning.

‘We believe that the current dominating large, expensive, non-shareable and non-lifelong AI models will not survive in a future where sustainable, evolving and sharing collective of AI units are likely to emerge,’ said Dr Soltoggio.

‘Human knowledge has grown incrementally over millennia thanks to communication and sharing.

“We believe similar dynamics are likely to occur in future societies of artificial intelligence units that will implement democratic and collaborating collectives.’

Their research was funded by the US Defence Advanced Research Project Agency (Darpa) and is published in the  journal Nature Machine Intelligence .

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