Just as important, perhaps even more so, is finding the right people to work with. I think it's important to look around, talk to people before you join a group, make sure they're people you can work with closely. Yes, I went on several SPIE trips. It's a great program. It helped me get a feel for the industrial environment and the different culture at various companies.
Most studies show girls doing better than boys in science and math in elementary school.
Between 6th and 10th grade, that turns around dramatically. I think we need to target the middle school area where they seem to drop off. I had a great physics teacher in high-school. He was very enthusiastic and his students really responded to that. Yes, a lot.