UTSA has started taking applications for its iTec Robotics summer camp.

New for this year is a program for high school students. Also new is the $70 fee per student. Last year, the program was free. Still, at under $100 for two weeks, daily free breakfast and lunch and an amazing robotic experience, it’s well worth every penny. I blogged about the camp last year here and here.

One of the elements I loved about this camp is that the kids are divided into groups of four with a mentor…so everybody has a chance to share their two cents worth in building the robots. Teamwork is emphasized, but at the end of the day, it’s the competition that captures everyone’s attention. I never had so much fun watching Legos with wheels try to push each other off a table.

You can easily register online at itec.utsa.edu. But be prepared. Your child will need to type in a short essay on why he or she wants to be in the camp. The second hardest part: making sure you’ve got them signed up for the right one! There are five options this year:

• June 14 – 25: grades 3 – 6 using NXT platform
• June 28 – July 10: grades 8 – 11 using the VEX Robotics System
• June 28-July 9: grades 6-8 using the NXT platform
• July 12 – 23: grades 6-8 using the NXT platform
• July 12 – 23: grades3-6 using NXT platform

All camps run 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. with no early or late stay available.

And a WORD OF WARNING: If your child is accepted into the camp – do not park where you are not authorized to park and pay before you walk away to drop off or pick up your child. Those campus police are tough cookies and won’t hesitate to ticket you.

If you’ve got a future engineer on your hands, this is the camp to attend. Extremely well-run. And great fun for the kids.

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Inside the CAR Lab

And that is what I was reminded of when I opened my mail today and found the application for archaeology camp at UTSA’s Center for Archaeology Research (CAR). Because this year’s theme is Ancient Egypt…pyramids, mummies and King Tut.

I love this camp. Each year, they introduce the kids to the mysteries of the past and share their depth of knowledge about human existence, culture and society. That – and their lab is just really, really, really cool.

Only 15 campers are allowed in each session. It fills up fast, so if you want your kid in, now’s the time to sign up.

• Dates: July 5-9, July 19-23, August 2-6 and August 16-20
• Time: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Cost: $200 includes supplies, snacks and a t-shirt

The website hasn’t posted yet (not until March 15), but you can call Lynn Yakubik, 458-4462 or 458-4378 to request an application. Tell her King Tut sent you.

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It is just as it sounds. Two robots heading towards each other on a table to see which can push the other off. Some robots moved slowly. Some not at all. One turned in a circle. Several just got locked up. The creativity of the teams was unlimited. Some looked like shovels, some like cars and still others like bulldozers. I could have watched all day.

Photo courtesy of Northwest Vista College

On the winning team was a girl. One of only a handful that participated in the camp. I had to wonder…why aren’t more girls involved? As if by magic, later that afternoon, I got word from Northwest Vista College about an upcoming girls-only robotics camp. With space for 24 girls, the camp breaks them up into teams of four and sets them loose on building Tetrix robots and competing in various challenges.

And check this out: It’s free. Didn’t think you could find a last minute camp this summer? No problem. According to college spokesperson Melissa Monroe-Young, there are still ten spots left. Sign up now!

The 411

• Campers: Girls ages 14 to 18
• Dates: August 3 to August 14 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Location: Northwest Vista College, 3535 N. Ellison Dr.
• Cost: Doesn’t get any cheaper than free.
• Register here

SpaceTEAMS @ Northwest Vista

Don’t have a daughter that age? No problem. Northwest Vista has two other camps with openings:

July 20 -31: Robot camp for elementary students – Tuition $225. Using Lego Mindstorm
July 20-31: Robot camp for middle school students – Tuition $250. Using VEX Robotics

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If  you’ve got a teenager who has finished his or her freshman year in high school, Lone Star Scholars Academy may be the place to start.  Aside from getting him or her out of your hair for a couple of weeks, the residential camp, which is housed at Texas Lutheran University, offers college-level classes and the opportunity to “try on” a college experience.

Source: SXC

Small classes, field trips, evening activities and a group service project await. Best of all – your high schooler walks out with two hours of college credit on the books.

What do the kids study? It runs the gamut from writing and film to communication and sign language. Some of my favorite titles:  Democracy and Identity, The Art of Negotiation and Forensic Anthropology.  Oh, yea.  Skeletons.  That’s fun.

The 411

Dates: July 19 – August 1, 2009

Where: Texas Lutheran University, 1000 W Court Street, Seguin

Age:  Campers must have completed their freshman year of high school but can’t be any farther along than the summer prior to their senior year.

Cost: This one’s going to set you back $1,495 but it includes tuition, room, board, books and all associated activity fees and material costs. There are some scholarships available based on need.

Register at LSSA before July 13

Want to know more?

• Email lssa@tlu.edu
• Website
• Twitter

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