In the Robotics Workshop, our campers become engineers, bringing their ideas to life through hands-on building and computer programming. Learning from experienced instructors, campers use a wide variety of tools to explore the mechanics of robots and the programming necessary to make them work. Campers are divided by grades and/or skill level into groups to create an age-appropriate program that is both intellectually stimulating and challenging!

Beginning campers will learn the basics of robot construction and programming. Working with gears, sensors, and motors, they teach their robots to accomplish a series of smaller challenges. Once they’ve mastered moving, turning, and sensing colors and distance, the campers collaborate to work on larger projects. Examples include Robot Soccer, Robot Tic-Tac-Toe, or a Rube Goldberg machine – a whimsical device using their robots to complete a basic task in the most convoluted way possible.

Campers attending for multiple years in robotics or more experienced campers have an opportunity to develop their learning further, where they will use similar tools with more complex modeling and programming with new projects and challenges. As campers move beyond the basic functions of robotics, they will begin to learn more about gear ratios, as well as more in-depth programming that combines visual programming with coding in Robot C, a common programming language used for Robotics programming. With a greater understanding of robot mechanics, campers can customize their electrical circuitry and designs to create even more intricate robots.

Our program uses the VEX Robotics platform, a popular and advanced platform for robotics competitions.

*This workshop focuses primarily on the creative design process when it comes to making video game designs. It does not focus on playing video games or programming! While programming and game development software is utilized to help campers bring a playable prototype of their vision to life, campers who want to focus primarily on their coding skills (rather than their design skills) should instead take our Programming and Coding Workshop!  

Video games are the entertainment medium of the 21st century, with a global audience of almost 3 billion, made up of a wide variety of ages and genders, and an industry revenue that surpasses even Hollywood’s! Living at the intersection of technology and art, video game design is one of the most exciting, expanding, and far-reaching skills to learn in the modern age.

Our Video Game Design Workshop teaches the craft of game design, giving you the skills needed to creatively bring your story or adventure to life. Our workshop begins with a templated digital design mini-project to acquaint campers with the available development tools. Next, campers form small teams to dig deep into the principles and practices of game design, starting with a game concept description; novel concepts are encouraged and supported through tabletop (paper-based) mock-ups. Each team brings its vision to a playable prototype, through a simulation of the process followed by professional game designers, using a variety of digital development tools and methods. Working collaboratively, every camper on the team has a role in creating the story, characters, player mechanics, environment, and other elements of their game.

Campers will also think about how games reflect the values of the game developers who made them, and how Sci-Tech values come into play when we seriously consider the meaning of our games.

There is a wide array of tools to work with, so even returning campers or experienced developers will be challenged to discover and grow their skillsets. While the software we use changes each year, the primary game engines used in previous summers included Scratch (great for a variety of 2D games), CoSpaces (for easy collaboration on block-coded 3D games), and BlocksmithXR (for the realism and flexibility of Unity but an easier learning-curve).

Join us this summer and use your passion for play to create the games you’ve always wanted to see in the world!

Whether you love the challenge of programming a web app or enjoy the thrill of creating software that can improve the world, the Programming and Coding workshop is the right place for you this summer! In our Programming and Coding workshop, you’ll not only learn the most sought-after skill in the 21st century, but you’ll also have fun in an environment that’s all about curiosity, playfulness, and logic. 

This summer we will be learning the JavaScript programming language! It is one of the most popular programming languages, voted the most used language for ten years in a row by StackOverflow, and is one of the foundational programming languages for web development.  It is a lightweight programming language that can be easily integrated into other frameworks, and it has played a significant role in creating interactive web pages and web apps.  It is also a key feature in most web browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, and Safari. But JavaScript isn’t only used to make websites interactive! It can also be used to build browser-based games and, with the help of certain frameworks, mobile apps for different operating systems. 

Campers with little experience in programming will learn the ins and outs of different software to think like a programmer, and by the end of the session, they’ll have a working prototype they can share with friends and family. More advanced campers can build on their existing knowledge to develop increasingly more complex programs. 

In the Digital Film Production workshop, campers take ownership of the entire movie creation process. From character development and scriptwriting to directing, shooting, and editing, campers in DFP have the opportunity to engage in all aspects of film production and creatively explore a whole new world of storytelling. Younger campers and those new to film production form production teams to write, film, and edit their film together with our professional-level equipment and specialist instructors.

More experienced campers in our upper camp workshop have the opportunity to develop advanced skills and focus on technical tricks and the editing process through a more hands-on and individualized filmmaking process. Campers have the option to make a creative short film in our Tech Track while learning complex techniques in areas such as cinematography, green-screening, VFX, lighting, color grading, motion graphics, and more. These campers will have more room to play with an individual idea rather than a larger group project.

Digital Film Production provides a unique combination of technology and art. Our campers learn to effectively use technology – from our video cameras and microphones to diverse and advanced computer software options – to realize their artistic visions. Our instructors work with campers to write scenes, create shot lists, execute multiple camera angles, adjust for lighting, and direct their movies.

Once the footage is filmed, campers use professional tools in the Adobe professional suite to develop hands-on experience in editing and VFX, music scoring, and sound effects. Through this project-based creation process, campers grow their skillset and explore the amazing world of digital film production.

What makes up our universe? What elements were in your breakfast this morning? How is electricity made? In our new Chemistry Workshop, campers will discover the answers to these questions and more as they experiment and hypothesize about the world we live in! 

In this Chemistry Workshop, campers will work in small lab groups, just like in a real research setting! Together they’ll develop and test hypotheses about the substances of this universe, their properties, and the ways in which these substances interact, combine, and affect our world. Campers will cooperatively explore the chemical makeup of organic substances (like the foods we eat), inorganic materials (like nanoparticles), and biomolecules (like DNA). Campers will conduct experiments to better understand phenomena like combustion, acids/bases, molecular synthesis, and more! Campers will leave the workshop with a deeper understanding of the steps involved in the scientific method and how we can create a better world through the power of chemistry.  

Everywhere we look today involves something created using the skills of a graphic designer.  From phones to digital billboards, and business cards to posters, the tools of graphic design help convey messages and information most effectively. Has an advertisement ever caught your eye and sparked your interest? That was the work of a graphic designer! 

Campers will explore the fundamentals of graphic design, such as symmetry, color, composition, and more. This workshop will allow campers to learn some of the most commonly used professional design tools, such as Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop and Illustrator, as well as other fun and creative technology tools.  Learning techniques such as manipulating layers, using filters, and creating vector illustrations will allow campers to begin expressing their ideas and creativity in a visual medium. 

By the end of the session, campers will have the knowledge of different software and internet tools they can use from home after camp ends, as well as the beginnings of a portfolio of designs and projects they can share will family and friends. No previous experience or artistic skills are necessary for this workshop, and campers of all skill levels will have the opportunity for growth and exploration!