
BOISE - The push to get more young women into fields related to technology got a big boost today.
Idaho's first lady Lori Otter helped present a check for more $12,789 to help send Girl Scouts to STEM camps this summer and next.
The Idaho STEM Action Center and the American Association of University Women joined forces to raise the money earlier this year.
The organizations say they decided to do this because of Idaho's rapid growth in technology.
"The issue is, that a majority of men go into the tech field, but women don't,” said Sylvia Chariton, President of AAUW. “It's like they never have enough jobs filled because half the team sits on the bench, and our intent is really to change that."
In 2015, about 3,800 STEM-related jobs went unfilled in Idaho. And currently only 12 percent of engineers are women.
The goal behind today's donation is to see those numbers change.