GREAT Summer Camp
Note for summer 2014: We have traditionally set schedules and opened registration in early March. I am seeing a lot of interest from people already so I will try to finalize plans a little earlier. Prior participants will be emailed when the system is ready to go. If you are part of an organization that might be interested in supporting the camps, we are looking to replace some external funding, these allow us to maintain our high quality and provide scholarships.
Camp Overview
The GREAT (Graphics and Robotics Exploration with Amazing Technology) summer camps are aimed at students who want to unleash their creativity while learning about computer graphics, robotics and programming by making games, animations, and robots.These engineering summer camps will be held in the Warnock Engineering building (WEB) and Merrill Engineering Building (MEB) on the University of Utah campus.
We have a number of programs available (please see the "Dates" tab for calendar and pricing information). Additional information is available by contacting the camp Director, David Johnson, at dejohnso@cs.utah.edu or 801-585-1726. It is easier for me to quickly respond to emails, and an email allows me to make sure I have correct names and dates, for example, when you are requesting a transfer. You are encouraged to email me at
for routine requests and questions.
The generous support of our sponsors allows the camps to offer a limited-number of need-based financial aid scholarships. Please contact David Johnson for more information. In general, families that qualify for free or reduced-price school lunches are considered to be 'need-based'. We have exhausted our funding for aid this summer. Please inquire next spring about opportunities next year .
| GREAT - Elementary: | ||
| Elementary Beginning Scratch: A week-long camp for entering 4th, 5th, and 6th graders which uses a fun programming environment called Scratch to make animations and games. No prior experience is necessary. This camp runs from 9AM-11:45AM, M-F. A snack is provided. | |
| Elementary Advanced Scratch: A week-long camp for entering 4th, 5th, and 6th graders which uses a fun programming environment called Scratch to make animations and games. More advanced programming topics are covered and project complexity is higher. Students should have completed the beginning camp prior to taking the advanced camp or had some equivalent training. This camp runs from 12:30PM-3PM, M-F. A snack is provided. | ||
| Elementary FIRST Lego League (FLL): This week does an intensive recreation of the robot games portion of a FIRST Lego League season, which is a world-wide robotics competition run in many schools. This is an ideal way for students who will be participating in FLL to learn about how to do the missions or more experienced students to practice with advanced techniques. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. This camp is open to all age groups eligible for FLL in the upcoming season (4-8 grades). If the student is in middle school, the Graphics and Robotics camp might be a better choice. | |
| Elementary Aftercare: We are going to offer a limited aftercare program from 3 until 5:30. This will largely not be computer related, but more about enjoying some of the University of Utah campus - doing activities like bowling or games on the open spaces. I know this does not solve the problem for those enrolled in the Beginning Scratch camp ending at 11:45AM. Sorry. We will distribute a daily schedule so that you can pickup early if needed. A snack will be provided. Only for students in the Advanced Scratch or FIRST Lego League camps. Additional fees apply, please see the Dates or Registration page. | |
| GREAT - Middle School: | ||
| Middle School Graphics and Robotics: A week-long camp for entering 7th, 8th, and 9th graders which uses a 3D programming world called Alice for 3D animations and games, followed by building and programming LEGO Mindstorms robots to compete in various challenges. No prior experience is necessary. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. | |
| Middle School Advanced LEGO Mindstorms: This week delves deeper into the Lego Mindstorms robotics systems. Attendees will learn more about programming the Mindstorms robots and pratice more advanced build techniques while making some cool Lego robot projects. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. This camp is open to students entering 6th-9th grade. Campers must have taken the Middle School Graphics and Robotics camp, or the FLL camp, or have significant experience with FLL competitions prior to attending this camp. | |
| Middle School Programming with Processing: This camp uses the Processing programming language to learn more about programming while making interactive illustrations, animations, and simple games. The Processing language is based on the popular Java language and is designed to appeal to visual artists, so this is a good way to get started in "real" programming. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. This camp is open to students entering 8th-10th grade. Campers must have taken the Middle School Graphics and Robotics camp prior to this camp. Please check the Dates tab as this camp does not run all weeks. | |
| Middle School Aftercare: We are going to offer a limited aftercare program from 3 until 5:30. This will largely not be computer related, but more about enjoying some of the University of Utah campus - doing activities like bowling or games on the open spaces. We will distribute a daily schedule so that you can pickup early if needed. A snack will be provided. For students in the middle school camps (HS if necessary). Additional fees apply, please see the Dates or Registration page. | |
| GREAT - High School: | ||
|
| Middle School Programming with Processing: See the camp description in the Middle School camps above - it is open to entering 9th and 10th graders as well as later middle school students. | |
| High School Robotics with Arduino: A week-long camp for entering 10th, 11th, and 12th graders; or 9th graders who have taken a middle school camp. Campers will build wacky or useful machines that react to the world and to people using embedded computers, sensors, and motors based on the Arduino family of processors. This is a fun, engaging camp that doesn't need any prior experience, but uses "real" gear in creative ways. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Some interest or aptitude in computers and/or building things is expected for this camp. Lunch is provided. | |
| High School Robotics Advanced Projects: A week-long camp for entering 10th, 11th, and 12th graders; or 9th graders who have taken a middle school camp. This is a follow-on course for those who have taken the HS Robotics with Arduino or have prior Arduino experience. The camp will be more project-based and focus on development of independent skills. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F and is only held one week July 15-19. Some interest or aptitude in computers and/or building things is expected for this camp. Lunch is provided. | |
| High School Advanced Programming: A two-week-long camp for entering 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, or 9th graders who have taken a middle school camp. Campers will learn the popular Python programming language and use it to write games by themselves and in groups. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. No prior experience is needed, but this camp is aimed at students who show some interest in or aptitude for computers, programming, or math. Lunch is provided. | |
| Engineering Arts and Entertainment (EAE) - Summer Program: High school students who are interested in 3D character design, such as used in games and animated movies, should look at another camp run by the School of Computing, the EAE Summer Program. This is a separate camp from the GREAT camps, please refer to that webpage for additional information and registration. | ||
Campers must be able to work alone and in groups and have basic
keyboarding and computer skills.
Enrollment update
June 3 - Many camps are now full. I will summarize availability at this time, but there are cancellations so you may find it worthwhile to try a desired date even if I list it full here.
Beg. Scratch: all full
Adv. Scratch: July 8 and 15 full
FLL: all full
Adv. Lego: July 8 full
G&R: all full
Processing: all full
Arduino: June 17 open
Adv. Programming: full
Enrollment update
April 25 - The camps are a little over 2/3rds full and a few sessions are at capacity. Full sessions as of today are the 6/10-14 and 6/24-28 FIRST Lego League and the 6/10-14 Graphics and Robotics (most of the other weeks have only a single spot left, so these are likely to fill quickly). The Beginning Scratch camps are also all approaching capacity, so register soon.
Tax ID
For those of you looking for a tax ID number for last year's camps, we are 87-6000525.
Enrollment update
April 11 - The camps are a little over half full and a few sessions are at capacity. Full sessions as of today are the 6/24-28 FIRST Lego League and the 6/10-14 Graphics and Robotics.
GREAT Camp News
The GREAT camps are open for summer 2013 registration. The easiest way to register is online, which can be found under the "Registration" tab. The registration system can also tell you which camps have open spots avaialable.
Sponsors
The GREAT camps are made possible by the generous sponsorship of Microsoft, the Nvidia Foundation, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Amirsys, and L-3 Communications - Communication Systems West, as well the support of Hill AFB and the University of Utah.