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GREAT Summer Camp

Welcome to the 2024 GREAT Camp Season!

This year we are excited to continue our tradition of fun and technically challenging camps. Consider talking to a friend of your child about attending together - it is nice to carpool!
Please look closely at what is offered for which weeks. We mostly have introductory camps the first three weeks, and then the last week will be mostly more advanced camps that require an earlier camp as a prerequisite.

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 great@cs.utah.edu.

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

great@cs.utah.edu

for routine requests and questions.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

This summer I am unable to provide individual need-based scholarships.

Early Bird Discount

Take advantage of our $15 off early bird registration discount by registering by March 15th! Use the EARLYBIRD15 discount code during the registration process. This is not available after March 15th. Transfers after that date will honor the discounted price.

University of Utah Staff and Faculty

We do not offer a specific discount for U employees.

Dates

See the Dates tab or the Registration link for details on when each camp is offered.

Please note that the Week 2 camps do not have a Monday session as the University of Utah observes Juneteenth on that day. Tuition is reduced that week to reflect the four day week.

Programs

Individuals may only register for a maximum of 3 camps sessions per summer. This is a state of Utah childcare program policy.

GREAT - Elementary:
		Elementary Introductory 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. Participants will program a large number of projects in the fast-paced camp. In past years campers have made paint programs, a keyboard-pounding race game, a bouncing ghosts game, a maze challenge, a 2D platform game, a classic snake game, a space invaders clone, and an adventure game - all in a week! No prior experience is necessary. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM. Lunch is provided. $325. Schedule
		Super Scratch: We cannot get enough of Scratch and neither can our campers! These week-long 9AM-3PM day camps for entering 4th, 5th, and 6th graders are a follow-on to the Introductory Scratch camp. Attendees should be enthusiastic about programming in Scratch. Students should have completed the Introductory Scratch camp prior to taking a Super Scratch camp or had some significant training in Scratch. These camps run from 9AM-3PM. Lunch is provided. $325. Schedule
		Elementary Introductory Robotics: The Introductory Robotics camp teaches robotics, programming and teamwork using the Lego EV3 robotics system. Campers build a mobile robot and program it to navigate around a mat, use a robot arm, and pick up and retrieve game pieces. These activities are based on FIRST Lego League, which is a world-wide robotics competition run in many schools. This is a fun camp for kids to explore engineering by building and refining a robot to accomplish different tasks. No experience is required. Campers who have been part of an FLL team can still get a lot out of our of this camp as they might do more building and programming than they did on their team. This camp is open to entering 4th-7th graders. It does tend to have mostly 4th-6th graders - older participants should be OK with the idea of being around younger campers. If the student is in middle school, the Graphics and Robotics camp might be a better choice. $325. Schedule
		Advanced LEGO Mindstorms: This week delves deeper into the Lego Mindstorms robotics systems. Attendees will learn more about programming the Mindstorms robots and practice more advanced build techniques while making some cool Lego robot projects. These camps run from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. These camps are open to students entering 4th-8th grade. Campers must have taken the FLL camp or the Middle School Graphics and Robotics camp or have significant experience with LEGO Mindstorms robots prior to attending this camp. $325. Schedule
GREAT - Middle School:
		Middle School Graphics and Robotics: A week-long camp for entering 7th and 8th 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. The G&R camp is intended for students who did not take our elementary camps and who want to get a taste of the GREAT camps before trying the more advanced topics available. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. $325. Schedule
		Advanced LEGO Mindstorms: Entering 7th and 8th graders are eligible for the Advanced LEGO Mindstorms camps. This is a natural continuation of the Graphics and Robotics camp for robotics topics. Please see the Advanced LEGO Mindstorms listing in the elementary section. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. $325. Schedule
		Middle School Programming with Processing: This camp uses the Processing programming language to learn more about programming while making interactive illustrations and animations. 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 7th-9th grade (although older students more commonly take the high school camps). $325. Schedule
		Middle School Web Development: This camp uses Javascript to make simple interactive web pages. Javascript is one of the most popular languages for web development and learning Javascript can provide a lot of insight into how the Internet and World-Wide-Web works. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. This camp is open to students entering 7th-9th grade. This camp is open to students entering 7th-9th grade (although older students more commonly take the high school camps). $325. Schedule
GREAT - High School:
		Middle School Programming with Processing: See the camp description in the Middle School camps above - it is open to entering 9th as well as middle school students. $325. Schedule
		Middle School Web Development: See the camp descriptions in the Middle School camps above - these camps are open to entering 9th as well as middle school students. $325. Schedule
		High School Python Game Development Camp: This camp will use the popular Python programming language with a game development framework to make classic games. The Python language is currently used in the U's nationally-recognized Entertainment Arts and Engineering game program. This camp is for entering 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, or 9th graders who have taken a middle school camp. 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. $325. Schedule
		High School Python Data Science Camp:This camp will use the popular Python programming language with to explore concepts in data science. Student will learn to gather data from a variety of sources, use programming to gain insights in the data, and visualize data in colorful ways. Data science is a hot new area of computing mixing programming, statistics, user interfaces, and design. This is an introductory course, so there is some overlap with the Python Games camp, although many of the topics will be different. This camp is for entering 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, or 9th graders who have taken a middle school camp. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. $325. Schedule
		High School Python Advanced Game Development Camp: This camp continues the concepts in the Python Game Development Game for students interested in more challenging projects. Taking the earlier camp is a prerequisite. Students will learn additional concepts in computer science, Python, and game-making. This camp is for entering 10th, 11th, and 12th graders, or 9th graders who have taken a middle school camp. This camp runs from 9AM-3PM, M-F. Lunch is provided. $325. Schedule

The University of Utah offers other technical courses. If our dates or programs do not meet your needs, consider looking at the Youth Education technology camps (see course listings).

Our camps require that participants have basic keyboarding and computer skills. Campers must be willing and able to work alone and in groups and demonstrate respect for instructors, other campers, and the facilities of the University of Utah. We reserve the right to cancel the registration of any participant at any time.

To request a reasonable accommodation for a disability, please contact great@cs.utah.edu and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, 201 South Presidents Circle, Room 135, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, (801)581-8365. Reasonable notice is required.

Register Now!

by ACTIVE Network