The Physics Wonder Girls Camp Program

    "Physics Wonder Girls" is a free, STEM/Physics Camp for middle school girls and the brainchild of Physics Professor Dr. Roberto Ramos. Originally funded out of his physics research grant from the National Science Foundation, the camp started out at Indiana Wesleyan University in 2013, where Dr. Ramos was Blanchard Endowed Chair in Physics & Mathematics and came to Philadelphia in 2016, on the campus of the University of the Sciences, which merged with Saint Joseph's' University in 2022. Since 2016, the free physics camp has been funded by the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation, Puratos Corporation, Bristol Myers Squibb and SPIE - the International Society for Optics and Photonics and Constellation.  In 2024, the camp was sponsored by Constellation, and Puratos Corporation. The physics camp has received national attention, having been featured in The SPS Observer - the national magazine of the Society of Physics Students, Miss USA website, ABC Network News 6 Philadelphia, Fox News 29 Philadelphia, and CBS News 3 Philadelphia. The Physics Camp is a partner program of the Philadelphia Educational Fund and is registered with Philadelphia's Association for Women in Science (AWIS) and the National Science Foundation's Funsize Physics website. It has attracted the participation of distinguished women physicists and STEM scientists. In 2024, the elite STEM cohort of high-performing girls represented 23 middle schools in the Philly-South Jersey area.  For his work on the Physics Girls Camp, Dr. Ramos received Second Place in the  2021 Greater Philadelphia Social Innovators Award in the category of Community Impact. Dr. Ramos is recipient of the Saint Joseph's University's 2023 Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching  and USciences's  2022 William F. Homiller Award for Teaching Excellence.

    The physics outreach camp aims to sustain interest of middle school girls in science through hands-on physics demonstrations, research lab tours, industrial plant trips, physics-based games, and career talks.  Only about 20% of BS Physics students are women, and the program will help to increase the interest of girls in physics. Students in the Philly-South Jersey area, nominated by their science teachers for their potential in the scientific field, undergo final selection based on science grades, letters of recommendation, and a short essay. This pool of top science students is narrowed down to form 1-2 small, specialized cohorts of 15 campers. Campers experience four intense days of project-building, physics demonstrations and experiments, and interactions with women scientists and engineers. The capstone activity is the Girls' Physics Showcase Event, given by the participants to friends, family, camp organizers and the general community on the last day. 

    Dr. Ramos was inspired to create the camp by his daughter Kristiana, who expressed interest in the sciences at an early age. What started as a small idea turned into a bigger vision of inspiring middle school girls to pursue careers in STEM fields. Dr. Ramos is committed to advancing the role of women in  STEM. Kristiana - the original Physics Wonder Girl, recently graduated as a Presidential Scholar with a BS Physics degree from the University of Maryland and is a Physics PhD student at Northeastern University.

Media Coverage and Slideshows: 

2024 Camp 1 Slideshow Camp 2 Slideshow

2023 Camp 1 Slideshow Camp 2 Slideshow

2022   Camp 1 Slideshow    Camp 2 Slideshow   

2021   Greater  Philadelphia Social Innovator Award  USciences News  Camp A Slideshow  Camp B Slideshow

2019:  USciences News 2019   Camp A Slideshow Camp B Slideshow Constellation Grant Video  CBS Network News 2019

2018: Fox Network News Live 2018   SPIE Feature Article   USciences News 2018     Camp A Slideshow    Camp B Slideshow

2017: ABC Network News 2017   Miss USA 2017    UScience News 2017   The Observer   2017 Slideshow

2016: ABC Network News 2016    UScience News 2016  2016 Slideshow

2015: 2015 Slideshow

2014: 2014 Slideshow

2013:  2013 Slideshow

WOMEN SCIENTISTS-ENGINEERS-GUESTS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE MISSION OF THE PHYSICS WONDER GIRLS PROGRAM

Clarina Dela Cruz, Ph.D. (Distinguished Senior Scientist and Powder Diffraction Group Leader, Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Suzette Pabit, Ph.D. (Associate Principal Scientist, MERCK Research Laboratories)

Clemence Jollivet, PhD (Senior Engineering Manager, Coherent, Inc.)

Gianna Valentino, PhD (Asst. Professor, University of Maryland College Park)

Margie Cruz (Manufacturing Engineer, Chinook Airframe, Boeing)

Kristiana Ramos (Physics PhD Student, Northeastern University)

Lauren Kam (Computer Science Major, Cornell University)

Karen Goldberg, PhD (Professor, University of Pennsylvania and Director, Vagelos Institute of Energy Science)

Nora Ember (Nuclear Scientist, Constellation)

Jennifer Dimov, PhD (Engineer, NASA)

Karen Wheeler (Medical Physicist, Bio-Med Associates)

Suzanne Amador Kane, Ph.D. (Professor, Haverford College)

Kate Daniel, Ph.D. (Asst. Professor, Bryn Mawr College)

Xuemei Cheng, Ph.D. (Professor, Bryn Mawr College)

Cacey Bester, Ph.D. (Asst. Professor, Swarthmore College)

Kara McCullough (Radiochemist, Nuclear Regulatory Commission/Ms. USA '17)

Diana Sardelis Simcox, Ph.D. (Senior Nuclear Oversight Auditor, Constellation)

Marissa Roman-Bauza, Ph.D. (Engineer, INTEL)

Kayleigh McGovern-Gooch, Ph.D. (Senior Research Scientist, Reaction Biology Corp.)

Ariana Levitt (Materials Scientist, Exponent)

Amanda Huon, Ph.D. (Materials Scientist, Academy of  Natural Sciences)

Jessie Taylor, Ph.D. (Asst. Professor, University of the Sciences)

Brenda Fermin, M.S. (R&D Director, Puratos Corporation)

Kirtley Karpodinis (Process Specialist, Puratos Corporation)

Amanda Ballentine (Food Scientist, Puratos Corporation)

Kerry Groves (Senior R&D Technologist, Puratos Corporation)

Maya  Hazanov (Engineer, Puratos Corporation)

Nicole Savio (Product Devt Associate, Puratos Corporation)

Patience Blossfeld-Dogdson (Puratos Corporation)

Connie Macri (Quality Control, Puratos Corporation)

Brooke Haskins (Quality Control Manager, Puratos Corporation)

Christine McQuade (Engineering Specialist, Merck)

Ruby Gonzales Rios, Ph.D. (Molecular Sciences Liaison, Caris Life Sciences)

Tara Renbarger, Ph.D. (Chair, Division of  Natural Sciences, Indiana Wesleyan University)

Jolie Leonard, Ph.D. (Associate. Professor, Indiana Wesleyan University)

Grace Miller, Ph.D. (Dean, Natural and Applied Sciences, Taylor University)

Interested in Funding Physics Wonder Girls? Please contact Dr. Roberto Ramos (rramos@sju.edu , 215-596-8546). We are looking for funding sources to sustain the project.