In person camp: Students will program and test real hand-held cars with built-in computer vision and AI capacities to be self-driving through Python code; this precisely simulates the engineering concepts behind modern day self-driving cars. This course tracks along the Python vertical and integrates a range of topics at the nexus of AI and the highly anticipated revolution of self-driving cars and it is available to students ages 7-10 . Students will be separated into groups by grade and those with prior programming experience will be placed in more advanced levels.
Coursework includes practical experience with data modeling and machine learning (e.g. training a car to identify stop signs) as well as the policy and urban planning implications of self-driving cars. Through various computer science projects, students in beginning levels will complete challenges such as developing an algorithm using if-elif-else to manage car responses when detecting different traffic light colors, programming object-avoidance algorithms using while loops to continuously scan for street pedestrians, and collecting and analyzing data using Python visualization tools. Students in upper levels will engage in increasingly complex challenges around model creation, training, evaluation, and other machine learning concepts. Each student will complete three or more passion projects centered on specific areas of interest within AI and self-driving cars such as robotics, voice-guided activation, motion and human detection, traffic control and planning, cloud communication, and many others.
Students experience personalized learning with a maximum of 6 students per instructor. Instructors are software engineers and computer scientists who are currently leading professionals within the fields of data science and artificial intelligence. Students will be grouped by age and level of experience – the program is open to all levels, including beginners, and utilizes a robust, proprietary blended learning platform to differentiate based on previous exposure to engineering concepts. Various program features such as collaboration challenges, the use of student portfolios, the professional speaker series, and the opportunity for students to guide their own learning based on their interests all work towards our aim of raising critical thinkers and radical creators who will ultimately become global knowledge contributors.
Girls are strongly encouraged to join the program – early exposure to computer science and engineering concepts improves confidence in the field and significantly increases students’ likelihood of majoring in these subjects in college!
Sessions take place from 9am-5pm at Capital Factory’s technology hub in downtown Austin (8:30am drop-off and 5:30pm pick-up available). Downtown parking is not required as the operations team will facilitate a seamless drop-off and pick-up system for the program. Laptops and all other learning materials are provided by Hello World. Two snacks are provided per day, but students are required to pack a lunch. To ensure the safety of all students and limit our collective exposure to COVID-19, students will not be allowed to purchase lunch at nearby restaurants.