{"id":251309,"date":"2026-08-10T09:37:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T13:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=251309"},"modified":"2026-08-10T10:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T14:51:28","slug":"school-of-computing-builds-the-next-generation-of-innovators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/08\/school-of-computing-builds-the-next-generation-of-innovators\/","title":{"rendered":"School of Computing Builds the Next Generation of Innovators"},"content":{"rendered":"

Artificial intelligence is\u00a0a\u00a0technology\u00a0that enables computers to learn from data and perform tasks like recognizing images, understanding language,\u00a0and making predictions.\u00a0But for one week this summer, UConn faculty,\u00a0graduate\u00a0and undergraduate\u00a0students\u00a0worked with a group of curious campers to\u00a0bring\u00a0AI\u00a0to life.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
Students worked on autonomous toy cars during the camp. (Claire Galvin \/ UConn Photo).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hosted by the School of Computing<\/span>\u00a0(Soc)<\/span>\u00a0in partnership with the\u00a0Vergnano\u00a0Institute for Impact\u00a0(VII), the camp was created to help students build foundational knowledge in artificial intelligence while exploring how AI is transforming\u00a0the\u00a0field\u00a0of\u00a0engineering.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

“AI is a disruptive technology that can either\u00a0enhance\u00a0or\u00a0undermine\u00a0student learning,\u201d says\u00a0<\/span>camp program c<\/span>o-director Derek Aguiar. \u201cOur camp\u00a0introduces\u00a0students\u00a0to\u00a0foundational AI concepts and\u00a0teaches them how to use AI responsibly\u00a0to support their education.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Aguiar is a<\/span>n\u00a0<\/span>associate professor within the\u00a0<\/span>S<\/span>oC<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>which is a unit<\/span>\u00a0of the UConn<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>College of Engineering.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Campers from grades 8-12 gathered at UConn Storrs<\/span>\u00a0on July 27-31<\/span>\u00a0for<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0immersive\u00a0<\/span>one-<\/span>week program centered on the rapidly evolving field of\u00a0AI.\u00a0Through interactive games and hands-on activities,\u00a0campers explored the algorithms, math,\u00a0and programming that power AI systems.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Throughout the week, campers from 19 high schools across Connecticut, New York, and abroad, along with three homeschooled students,\u00a0experimented with programming environments,\u00a0trained\u00a0AI\u00a0models,\u00a0and tested them through computer vision scavenger hunts and\u00a0building their own video games. Alongside technical instruction,\u00a0instructors\u00a0challenged students to think critically about the responsible use of\u00a0these\u00a0emerging technologies.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the week’s highlights took students beyond the classroom and into\u00a0a\u00a0UConn research laboratory. During\u00a0their\u00a0visit to the\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>yber-<\/span>p<\/span>hysics\u00a0<\/span>l<\/span>ab\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>est\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>rack, campers met Keshawn Smith,\u00a0an\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>lectrical\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>ngineering\u00a0Ph<\/span>.<\/span>D<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0student<\/span>\u00a0who is\u00a0developing technologies that enable vehicles to perceive their surroundings\u00a0and navigate\u00a0roadways\u00a0safely.\u00a0Campers\u00a0connected\u00a0the concepts they had learned throughout the week with\u00a0the hands-on challenge of programming race cars to drive\u00a0themselves.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to lead this session because it gave students an authentic engineering experience where they could learn through experimentation rather than simply following instructions,\u201d\u00a0says Smith. \u201cWatching teams test, observe, and refine their autonomous vehicles showed them that engineering is an iterative process driven by curiosity, teamwork, and problem-solving.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A
(Claire Galvin \/ UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Campers\u00a0ended\u00a0the week\u00a0with a stronger understanding of how AI works, firsthand exposure to university research, and a clearer vision of the many pathways available in computing and engineering.\u00a0Most importantly, the camp\u00a0rounded out their\u00a0learning with\u00a0a session\u00a0helping\u00a0students build their understanding of the ethical thinking needed to evaluate AI technologies and their impact on people and society.<\/span><\/p>\n

“There\u00a0is a larger conversation\u00a0in\u00a0AI and\u00a0social media\u00a0about how\u00a0today\u2019s\u00a0teens are\u00a0constantly regulating\u00a0potential harm,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0SoC Ph<\/span>.<\/span>D<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0student\u00a0Sarah Bennett.\u00a0\u201cIt is more important than ever to give teens the tools and language\u00a0they need\u00a0to have\u00a0conversations\u00a0and manage ethical dilemmas on their own.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The camp\u00a0is\u00a0led by S<\/span>oC<\/span>\u00a0faculty members\u00a0<\/span>p<\/span>rofessors Jinbo Bi\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0Aguiar,\u00a0with\u00a0<\/span>activities coordinate<\/span>d by\u00a0<\/span>VII\u2019s\u00a0logistics\u00a0team<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>workshops\u00a0facilitated\u00a0by\u00a0<\/span>p<\/span>rofessors\u00a0Tingting Yu, Sheida Nabavi, and Yufeng Wu.\u00a0Graduate student instructors serve as\u00a0activity leaders\u00a0throughout the week, supported by undergraduate counselors to create a\u00a0fun\u00a0computing\u00a0experience\u00a0in an environment that\u00a0emphasizes\u00a0collaboration, inquiry, and experimentation.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond teaching technical skills, the program reflects\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span>s<\/span>chool<\/span>\u2019s\u00a0broader commitment to preparing the next generation of innovators.\u00a0The\u00a0AI Summer Camp helps\u00a0students develop computational thinking, problem-solving abilities, and\u00a0the ethical frameworks to design technologies that serve society.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For more information about AI Summer Camp or to provide financial support for campers to attend next year, please visit\u00a0the\u00a0VII site.\u00a0<\/a>More photos are available online.\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

High school students get a hands-on introduction to artificial intelligence at UConn<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":185,"featured_media":251310,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"wds_primary_series":0,"wds_primary_attribution":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2719,1866,1715,2460,2459,1875,2235],"tags":[],"magazine-issues":[],"coauthors":[2445],"class_list":["post-251309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ai","category-engr","category-community-impact","category-faculty","category-graduate-students","category-grad-school","category-today-homepage"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-17 14:36:04","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/users\/185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251309"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":251350,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251309\/revisions\/251350"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media\/251310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251309"},{"taxonomy":"magazine-issue","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/magazine-issues?post=251309"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/wp-rest\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=251309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}