The American Association of University Women, Placerville branch, has announced the names of four Gold Oak Union School District middle school students selected to participate in the Tech Trek science and math camp for girls held in June at Fresno State.

The program, sponsored by the AAUW, is a one-week summer residence camp for girls entering eighth grade in the fall.

Tech Trek camp provides an introduction to the possibilities, challenges and careers in math and science while also giving a preview of the college environment.

The local AAUW provided three scholarships, and the fourth was supported by the local Soroptimist Club.

Participants include Elisabeth Herzog of Somerset, Jennifer Kelly and Sonya Watson of Placerville and Lelia Jones of Pollock Pines.

Herzog and Kelly attend Gold Oak Arts Charter School in Placerville, and Jones and Watson are students at Pleasant Valley Middle School in Placerville.

Camp events include female guest speakers in the fields of math, science and technology, hands-on science projects, field trips and sports.

In addition, the students were also able to choose two of four core classes offered, including "Art of Construction," learning about building bridges; "Tetrahedral Kits," learning to construct and fly tetrahedral kits; "Murder Mystery," biological and physical sciences used to solve crimes; and "Up, Up and Away," learning about buoyancy through constructing and launching a hot air balloon.

Highlighting the activities was a visit to the Challenger Learning Center in Atwater, where the girls experienced a lunar landing simulation and also learned about roles in the mission control room as well as on the space ship.

They also were able to build a rocket ship that they launched and a motorized model car.

The local AAUW's Placerville branch selects a different middle school each year to ensure girls from all area schools have the opportunity to participate.

Students are nominated by their teachers.

Each student must submit an application and essay.

For more information about Tech Trek science camp for girls, go to www.aauw.org.

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Zachary Ulrich, son of Jill and Michael Ulrich, has been accepted to attend Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz., in the fall.

A fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, it offers undergraduate and graduate programs in more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of arts and sciences, aviation, business and engineering.

Ulrich, a graduate of Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs, plans to study electrical engineering, according to a press release.

For more information about the university, go to www.embryriddle.edu.

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Carol Hodgson, a member of the Rotary Club of Cameron Park, recently visited the schools for street kids in the city and county of Campinas, São Paulo, and also Vitória, Espírito Santo, Brazil.

Hodgson is a longtime director of Hope Unlimited, a nonprofit organization operating residential vocational training facilities that serve boys and girls who once lived dangerous lives on the streets of Brazil.

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Southern California, Hope's purpose is to rescue the children, transform their lives through caring and education and reintegrate them into society as responsible, productive young adults.

The organization is serving more than 500 teenagers.

At age 18, each graduate is guaranteed a job in their area of training.

Graduates move into one of Hope's downtown transition homes, where they hone necessary life skills.

After about six months, Hope helps them find a place where they can live on their own.

Monetary contributions to the organization include a $6,000 donation by the Rotary Club of Cameron Park and $2,500 by the the Rotary Club of Placerville.

According to a press release, Hope Unlimited has won numerous awards in Brazil for being a well-run and efficient nonprofit organization, including the Kanitz Award, recognizing them as one of Brazil's top 50 charities for the decade from among more than 1,800 organizations.

To learn more about Hope Unlimited, go to www.hopeunlimited.org.

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If you know someone who deserves recognition, please contact Lil Douglas by phone at (916) 608-7445, by e-mail at ldouglas@sacbee.com or by fax at (916) 985-8473.