At today's computer science panel and lunch, five women spoke about their personal experiences with computer science. Our panel was incredibly diverse; it ranged from a 19 year old college student majoring in computer science at UIUC to a professor who returned to graduate school to get her PhD after her children were in grade school. We had mothers, wives, engineers, scientists, educators, handy-m'ams, farmers, and students.
I asked our panelists about their first experience with computers. One graduate student reported seeing a computer for the first time at age 16 in her home country of Bangladesh. Another panelist talked about the big mainframe computer that she got to program. Once the computer did what she told it to do, she immediately fell in love. The average age of our panelists for their first experience with computers was about 12 years old.
Out of curiosity, I surveyed the audience of seventy campers. I asked, raise your hand if your first experience with computers was at age 8 or younger. BOOM! All hands were raised. 7 years? 6 years? 5? Some of our campers still had their hands raised at 1 year. What a childhood, with such ubiquitous computers, seeming to be everywhere at once.
I'm so amazed at how much these young women know about computers! They are smart, savvy, and creative, and I expect to see great things from them in the future.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Are YOU ready for the Talent Show?!
These girls are! Check out as Jackie J. leads some campers in their own rendition of Hannah Montana's "Nobody's Perfect"
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7790722351128415246&hl=en
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7790722351128415246&hl=en
Day 4
Hi there, parents!
As the week began to draw to a close, the girls finished up their Squeak projects, amazing the counselors, coordinators, and instructors with the complexity, creativity, and sheer amount of work put into these Squeak projects in the short two days we gave them. Squeak can be a delicate program that is challenging to work with, but the girls weren't afraid to ask questions and their perseverance really paid off!
In the afternoon, we had some special guests from the GAMES Structures Camp come to the Siebel Center computer labs to take a look at the girls' projects and cast their vote for the Most Creative, the Best Graphics, and the Next Big Hit (the results will be revealed tomorrow)! The projects that they saw included animated storybooks about astronauts and aliens; space-themed pinball, pong, and other classic games; and a wide variety of puzzling mazes and asteroid-avoiding challenges.
Also, throughout the day, each of the campers got her head scanned into a digital 3-D image. These images will be used for the yearbooks to give them a high-tech touch. :)
In an hour, the girls will be heading over to CRCE for one last night of African and salsa dancing, swimming in the pool, and craft-making! Let's hope they have a blast!
Pictures to come.
As the week began to draw to a close, the girls finished up their Squeak projects, amazing the counselors, coordinators, and instructors with the complexity, creativity, and sheer amount of work put into these Squeak projects in the short two days we gave them. Squeak can be a delicate program that is challenging to work with, but the girls weren't afraid to ask questions and their perseverance really paid off!
In the afternoon, we had some special guests from the GAMES Structures Camp come to the Siebel Center computer labs to take a look at the girls' projects and cast their vote for the Most Creative, the Best Graphics, and the Next Big Hit (the results will be revealed tomorrow)! The projects that they saw included animated storybooks about astronauts and aliens; space-themed pinball, pong, and other classic games; and a wide variety of puzzling mazes and asteroid-avoiding challenges.
Also, throughout the day, each of the campers got her head scanned into a digital 3-D image. These images will be used for the yearbooks to give them a high-tech touch. :)
In an hour, the girls will be heading over to CRCE for one last night of African and salsa dancing, swimming in the pool, and craft-making! Let's hope they have a blast!
Pictures to come.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Day 3
Hey Hey,
Today started out with the girls continuing their BIG projects from yesterday. The girls used squeak to bring to life the games and storybooks in their imaginations. All the girls are learning how to debug moving characters and string multiple scripts into a continuous game or story. Everywhere stars, planets, and space ships abound with aliens and asteroids just around the corner!
We also had a nice visit from Volition, Inc. a company that creates computer games right here in town! They brought along 6 video games including Wii sports, Xbox Tony Hawk, and Guitar hero just to name a few. The girls have fun trying out new and old games and learning tips and tidbits from some computer game project managers!
Volition also gave an informative talk about women and Computer Science. They talked about the ratios of women in the field, and how even at 7th grade most girls have already decided what they want to do as a career! There was also an explanation of all the main jobs that make a good computer job and where to start pursuing them.
Then we had another fun filled night at CRCE. There was Salsa and African dancing again as well as lots of splashing around in the pool, many amazing creations at the craft area, and even some frizz bee in the gym!
pictures coming soon!
Today started out with the girls continuing their BIG projects from yesterday. The girls used squeak to bring to life the games and storybooks in their imaginations. All the girls are learning how to debug moving characters and string multiple scripts into a continuous game or story. Everywhere stars, planets, and space ships abound with aliens and asteroids just around the corner!
We also had a nice visit from Volition, Inc. a company that creates computer games right here in town! They brought along 6 video games including Wii sports, Xbox Tony Hawk, and Guitar hero just to name a few. The girls have fun trying out new and old games and learning tips and tidbits from some computer game project managers!
Volition also gave an informative talk about women and Computer Science. They talked about the ratios of women in the field, and how even at 7th grade most girls have already decided what they want to do as a career! There was also an explanation of all the main jobs that make a good computer job and where to start pursuing them.
Then we had another fun filled night at CRCE. There was Salsa and African dancing again as well as lots of splashing around in the pool, many amazing creations at the craft area, and even some frizz bee in the gym!
pictures coming soon!
PBJ Attack
Monday was the first day teaching the CS campers about computer language. I personally have had to learn this lesson many times; a computer does exactly what the programmer programs it to do. To demonstrate this concept to our campers, we did the "Debug a Sandwich" activity. The campers got into teams, and wrote precise instructions for how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
The counselors followed the instructions, and quite literally.
"Put the knife in the jar." One counselor mashed the knife all the way into the jar. Another counselor tried to shove the knife through the safety seal on the peanut butter, and broke the knife in half.
"Put it in your mouth." As shown in the photos below, one counselor tried shoving the entire sandwich into her mouth.
The counselors followed the instructions, and quite literally.
"Put the knife in the jar." One counselor mashed the knife all the way into the jar. Another counselor tried to shove the knife through the safety seal on the peanut butter, and broke the knife in half.
"Put it in your mouth." As shown in the photos below, one counselor tried shoving the entire sandwich into her mouth.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Day 2
Hey once again!
Day 2 was full of excitement from the very beginning! Girls began the morning by getting their heads scanned! Lots of pictures were taken of their heads and through the program they were put together and the girls were able to see a 3-D picture of themselves.
In addition to making sure their brains were functioning correctly ;) , the girls were able to see inside of the things they use everyday: the computer! They were able to pull things out and learn what each component does! It was a great hands-on experience! They were able to see what runs their favorite games and Internet. Girls were very proud to say that they had pulled apart and put back together a computer - hopefully this is some knowledge they can take and use at your computers at home :)
The girls then finished their mini projects they were working on - a game all of you are familiar with - pong, with a twist! The girls were able to add their own little spin to the game, whether it was how the score changed or if the ball was a cloud! All the projects turned out great and though some weren't fully complete, they all looked amazing!
After the mini project, it was time for the big one - the final project! Girls found out who their partners were to be and began brainstorming, based on the theme - Outerspace!! Girls created a draft for their project and tomorrow will be working on the project itself.
After the brief beginning to the project, the girls were given a lesson on magic tricks - computer science style! They learned that if you pick any five cards, leaving one unknown, you can figure out the unknown!! They learned how to do this through the pigeon hole principle (the girls will love to explain and show off their new trick when they return home!)
After the presentation, it was dinner and then a fun night at CRCE! Some girls learned African Dancing while others learned to Salsa! The pool and waterslide were open and many girls cooled off after the hott day. The craft center was booming - many ideas came out including duck tape purses and sandals! Also, the basketball courts were busy and girls were jump roping and having a good time! The day ended with a bang!
Keep posted for pictures
Day 2 was full of excitement from the very beginning! Girls began the morning by getting their heads scanned! Lots of pictures were taken of their heads and through the program they were put together and the girls were able to see a 3-D picture of themselves.
In addition to making sure their brains were functioning correctly ;) , the girls were able to see inside of the things they use everyday: the computer! They were able to pull things out and learn what each component does! It was a great hands-on experience! They were able to see what runs their favorite games and Internet. Girls were very proud to say that they had pulled apart and put back together a computer - hopefully this is some knowledge they can take and use at your computers at home :)
The girls then finished their mini projects they were working on - a game all of you are familiar with - pong, with a twist! The girls were able to add their own little spin to the game, whether it was how the score changed or if the ball was a cloud! All the projects turned out great and though some weren't fully complete, they all looked amazing!
After the mini project, it was time for the big one - the final project! Girls found out who their partners were to be and began brainstorming, based on the theme - Outerspace!! Girls created a draft for their project and tomorrow will be working on the project itself.
After the brief beginning to the project, the girls were given a lesson on magic tricks - computer science style! They learned that if you pick any five cards, leaving one unknown, you can figure out the unknown!! They learned how to do this through the pigeon hole principle (the girls will love to explain and show off their new trick when they return home!)
After the presentation, it was dinner and then a fun night at CRCE! Some girls learned African Dancing while others learned to Salsa! The pool and waterslide were open and many girls cooled off after the hott day. The craft center was booming - many ideas came out including duck tape purses and sandals! Also, the basketball courts were busy and girls were jump roping and having a good time! The day ended with a bang!
Keep posted for pictures
Monday, August 6, 2007
Day 0 & Day 1
Hello parents!
Hopefully you are surviving your first full day without your amazing girls =) On Day 0 (because as you may or may not know, in CS, zero is the first number), we had our Opening Ceremony at Foellinger. We were so glad to see how many of you were able to make it! Professor Lenny Pitt showed us a few magic tricks and you all saw a "Squeak" peek of what your girls would be doing this week. Later that day, we all had dinner at the Illini Union while your girls chatted with each of the Counselors, Coordinators, and Teachers. The girls had a blast during the speed dating session and even learned about how so many professions in the Math, Engineering, and Science fields overlap! Afterwords, we saw a great Motorola presentation, played with some of the brand new, unreleased Motorola cell phones, and played Jeopardy for CHOCOLATE! It just doesn't get better than that... until you hear about Day 1!
On Monday, the girls learned how to make the PERFECT peanut butter and jelly sandwich. To their surprise, it took much more detail, explanation, and instruction than they thought. The girls also learned about how a robot with no visual capabilites could find its way through a maze. Finally, your girls took on the role of some of the vital human organs and discussed ways that they worked separately and together. And whats crazier is that they did all of this before 10:30 in the morning!
Later that day, the girls learned how to drive. That's right... drive. They drew cars, steering wheels, and roads on Squeak and used their newly acquired computer programming language to drive it! While some of the girls revealed that they needed some driving lessons and a permit before getting behind the wheel, all of them were able to create fully functioning vehicles! It was absolutely amazing!
After some of that computer fun, the girls took the infamous camp photo. It was HOT! And when I say HOT, I mean that we were outside while all 200 campers posed for a few snapshots. The girls looked gorgeous as usual. We expected nothing less.
Finally, the girls took a field trip to Loomis Laboratory to watch the Physics Van. If you think those volcanos made with vinegar and baking soda are cool, wait until you hear about this! The Physics Van provided us with some CRAZY special effects like the ones you see in movies. The only difference was that they were live, loud, and we learned something from them! We saw some (safe!) explosions, blasts, and airborne objects. The girls LOVED it!
Pictures from the day will be posted shortly, so stay tuned!
Hopefully you are surviving your first full day without your amazing girls =) On Day 0 (because as you may or may not know, in CS, zero is the first number), we had our Opening Ceremony at Foellinger. We were so glad to see how many of you were able to make it! Professor Lenny Pitt showed us a few magic tricks and you all saw a "Squeak" peek of what your girls would be doing this week. Later that day, we all had dinner at the Illini Union while your girls chatted with each of the Counselors, Coordinators, and Teachers. The girls had a blast during the speed dating session and even learned about how so many professions in the Math, Engineering, and Science fields overlap! Afterwords, we saw a great Motorola presentation, played with some of the brand new, unreleased Motorola cell phones, and played Jeopardy for CHOCOLATE! It just doesn't get better than that... until you hear about Day 1!
On Monday, the girls learned how to make the PERFECT peanut butter and jelly sandwich. To their surprise, it took much more detail, explanation, and instruction than they thought. The girls also learned about how a robot with no visual capabilites could find its way through a maze. Finally, your girls took on the role of some of the vital human organs and discussed ways that they worked separately and together. And whats crazier is that they did all of this before 10:30 in the morning!
Later that day, the girls learned how to drive. That's right... drive. They drew cars, steering wheels, and roads on Squeak and used their newly acquired computer programming language to drive it! While some of the girls revealed that they needed some driving lessons and a permit before getting behind the wheel, all of them were able to create fully functioning vehicles! It was absolutely amazing!
After some of that computer fun, the girls took the infamous camp photo. It was HOT! And when I say HOT, I mean that we were outside while all 200 campers posed for a few snapshots. The girls looked gorgeous as usual. We expected nothing less.
Finally, the girls took a field trip to Loomis Laboratory to watch the Physics Van. If you think those volcanos made with vinegar and baking soda are cool, wait until you hear about this! The Physics Van provided us with some CRAZY special effects like the ones you see in movies. The only difference was that they were live, loud, and we learned something from them! We saw some (safe!) explosions, blasts, and airborne objects. The girls LOVED it!
Pictures from the day will be posted shortly, so stay tuned!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Welcome CS Campers!
Hello! Our names are Shikha, Fernanda, Adina, and Shalu, and we are going to be your coordinators for the computer science camp. We have been working very hard to be ready for your arrival on August 5th. We are super excited to have you as a part of our camp and hope that you are getting excited about coming here as well!
We have some very fun activities planned for the week! Together we will explore the insides of a computer, meet fascinating women who are involved in CS industry, and learn Squeak to create our very own games! The theme for our camp this year will be “Outer Space”.
We hope that throughout the course of the week you get as excited about the world of computer science as we are. We have some activities planned to expose you to the awesome resources that we have here at the University of Illinois. Did you know that members of the Department of Computer Science here at UIUC developed Mosaic, the world’s first graphic web browser?
The awards ceremony and party on the last day of camp will be luau-themed, so don’t forget to bring your Hawaiian themed shirts, skirts, and leis!
We can’t wait to have you here on campus in August! We guarantee that you will learn interesting facts and have a ton of fun!
We have some very fun activities planned for the week! Together we will explore the insides of a computer, meet fascinating women who are involved in CS industry, and learn Squeak to create our very own games! The theme for our camp this year will be “Outer Space”.
We hope that throughout the course of the week you get as excited about the world of computer science as we are. We have some activities planned to expose you to the awesome resources that we have here at the University of Illinois. Did you know that members of the Department of Computer Science here at UIUC developed Mosaic, the world’s first graphic web browser?
The awards ceremony and party on the last day of camp will be luau-themed, so don’t forget to bring your Hawaiian themed shirts, skirts, and leis!
We can’t wait to have you here on campus in August! We guarantee that you will learn interesting facts and have a ton of fun!
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