What do you think of when you think of computer engineering or computer science?
Maybe you think of a programmer alone late at night in front of a screen, or a hardware hacker surrounded by blinking computer parts. Computer science is not just coding, and computer engineering is not just electronics. Computing is all around us, and you can find it almost everywhere. In this camp you’ll explore how code intersects with your digital and physical worlds.
In this camp you will:
- Learn fundamental concepts found in any programming language using Scratch, a
popular open-source programming language developed at MIT. - Design and create a mobile app for Android phones or tablets using App Inventor, an
open-source app development tool. - Explore the intersection of art, fashion, and technology through e-textile projects.
- Make copper tape circuits to examine basic electronics.
- Write computer code for microprocessors that will control a wearable tech accessory,
an interactive art piece, or a literature project that you design. - Investigate topics related to cybersecurity and protection of critical infrastructures.
- Connect hands-on experiences to computer simulations.
Our camp developers and coordinators are Dot Silverman and Jana Sebestik. Dot Silverman is currently a graduate student in curriculum and instruction at UIUC. She received a bachelor’s degree in physics from Pomona College, and worked at Instructables, Autodesk, and the Harvard Wyss Institute before coming to Urbana-Champaign. She loves tinkering with science and sharing it with others, and hopes to become a high school physics teacher. Jana Sebestik is the Assistant Director of STEM Curriculum Design in the Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education at the University of Illinois. She coordinates education and outreach for several projects including the NSF funded GIC Hazard Prediction: From the Solar Wind to Power Systems Impacts Project and the DOE/DHS funded Cyber Resilient Energy Delivery Consortium (CREDC). She helps engineers and research scientists connect their work to educators, consumers, and students. She is the author of curriculum modules in computer science, mathematics, and science.