August 14, 2024
Elementary, middle and high school students spent their summer engaging in activities like programming robots, detecting cyber attacks, developing video games and exploring topics such as artificial intelligence and sustainability at Mizzou Engineering camps.
The College hosted nine summer camps, each designed to inspire children and teens to consider a future in STEM, focusing on engineering opportunities.
This year’s slate of camp programming included:
Hacker Tracker Cybersecurity Camp
Students in middle and high school had the opportunity to play detective, using coding and tools to detect and defend cyber attacks during the annual Hacker Tracker Cyber Security Camp, led by Prasad Calyam, Gilliom Professor of Cyber Security.
Geospatial Science Camp
Hosted by researcher Akanksha Balha, Geospatial Science camp taught 40 students grades 6-9 about geospatial science, an interdisciplinary field that encompasses a wide range of areas including remote sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), geography and cartography. The camp was followed by a picnic at South Farm (photo bottom right, submitted by Balha).
Game Development Camp
Associate Teaching Professor Fang Wang led a Game Dev Hack camp for students interested in designing and developing games for computers and mobile devices using the Unity game environment. The camp was open to high school students.
STEM Quest: Engineering Foundations Overnight Camp
This new camp, hosted by the College of Engineering, aimed to introduce high school students to foundational engineering knowledge through hands-on activities to strengthen skills in math, physics and chemistry. Activities were led by undergraduate and graduate students, as well as faculty.
Girls Experiencing Environmental Engineering
Led by Assistant Professor Maryam Salehi, this four-day camp taught students about using environmental engineering to promote sustainability and prevent pollution. The camp was open to girls in grades 7-12.
Girls Experiencing Electrical & Computer Engineering
Students in grades 8-12 gained experience with emerging technologies such as AI and had the opportunity to discover essential topics such as circuits, digital logic, microcontrollers and programming, with Assistant Teching Professor Ali Shiri Sichani. They engaged in hands-on activities, simple programming, lab tours and visits to the university library and student center.
Build an Underwater Robot Camp
Students in third through eighth grade had the opportunity to build and test a robot that operates and performs tasks underwater. Due to high demand, the camp, led by Professor and Chair of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Kevin Gillis, hosted two sections of students.
Programmable Robotics Overnight Camp
Gillis also hosted a three-day overnight camp for students to create a customized advanced robot. Students used computer-aided design and 3D printing to customize a robot, then controlled it using Scratch and Python programming languages.
Machine Learning & AI Camp
Professor Satish Nair hosted two sections of a Machine Learning & AI camp for high schoolers to experience a hands-on introduction to the basics of data science and machine learning. The camp was available both in-person and online.
Engage with Mizzou Engineering before enrolling in a degree program. Check back for future camp dates and K-12 opportunities here.