A Second Look at Student Summer Camps: New UCSD Offerings

UCSD Middle School and High School 2011 Summer Workshops and Camps

 Due to popular request, we have added some new workshops and reworked others in an attempt to accommodate many of you whose schedules did not fit with out summer schedule, those who have requested a particular workshop and those who may be on workshop waiting lists.  We have revised our popular 2D-3D Insani-D! class from last year to include Alice, we are offering another Introduction to Java course, we are helping your students to understand and create their own social networking site and to create beautiful music using a computer! If your student has an interest in science, we have two camps that include field trips to offer you, one focused on geology and one on keeping our planet green. Please take a look!

July and August Workshops At-a-Glance 

July 5- 8, 2011

Introduction to Computers and Music: Create Your Own Composition and Musical Instruments Using Computers
Tuesday- Friday, July 5- 8, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

In this course, the union of technology and music weaves a cloth of limitless possibilities for creativity and learning. Composer, recording engineer, and technologist Rick Snow leads students on a 4-day immersion into both the creative and technical sides of creating music and sound art with computers. As a composer of chamber and orchestral music as well as immersive works for computers and interactive systems, Rick seeks to inspire students to harness the power of computers to create beautiful and complex sounds and music. With an emphasis on creative projects, this course introduces the student to techniques for recording, manipulating, and synthesizing sound using freely available software. As a source of inspiration, students will be introduced to the creative projects of world famous composers and sound artists. After participating in this course, the student will have an understanding of acoustics, music theory, and sound design as they relate to computers. The student will also have completed their own compositions and even designed their own musical instruments using software.
Presented by Rick Snow, Department of Music, UCSD
Course fee: $150.00
Course open to students in grades 9- 12.

July 11- 15, 2011

How To Build Your Own Fun and Interactive Social Networking Site with Readily Available Software: ActionScript, Apache, PHP, and MySQL
Monday- Friday, July 11- 15, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

Apache, PHP, and MySQL serve as the software foundation of thousands of web sites all over the world. PHP is perhaps the most common language in use today for developing open source content management systems such as Drupal, Joomla, and Moodle. PHP is the second most popular scripting language with the fastest growing user base (according to Indeed.com and numerous other job trend sites). MySQL is the most widely used open source database engine in the world, and it uses the common SQL (Structured Query Language) to communicate.  This workshop will introduce students to the powerful languages PHP and SQL using the open source XAMPP web server that includes Apache, PHP, and MySQL. Participants will access course material using the SDSC StudentTECH Portal powered by Joomla, an open source portal development tool built with PHP and which uses a MySQL database. Participants must have some experience with basic web page development using HTML and CSS, and some scripting (Javascript) or programming experience is strongly recommended.
Presented by Jeff Sale, Programmer, San Diego Supercomputer Center
Course fee: $195.00
Course open to students in grades 9- 12.

July 18- 22, 2011

Introduction to Java Programming: Java Language Basics
Monday- Friday, July 18-22, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

This weeklong workshop introduces the structure, syntax, and programming paradigm of the Java™ language and platform. Students will learn the Java syntax you are most likely to encounter in the professional and research world and Java programming idioms you can use to build robust, maintainable Java applications. Students will be guided through the essentials of object-oriented programming on the Java platform, including fundamental Java syntax and its use. You'll get started with creating Java objects and adding behavior to them, and conclude with an introduction to the Java Collections Framework, with considerable ground covered in between.
 This course will start with the very basics and assumes that students do not have any previous Java programming experience and does not require any other programming experience. This course will cover the fundamentals of the operative parts of Java and will introduce the basic programming concepts of Java programming.
Presented by David Medine, UCSD Instructor
Course fee: $195.00
Course open to students in grades 9- 12.

August 1- 5, 2011

Rock On! Exploring Rocks, Minerals and Fossils With a Renowned Geologist!
Monday- Friday, August 1- 5, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

Our blue-green jewel of a planet has amazing stories to tell once we learn how it works. San Diego’s own landscapes contain hidden tales of shifting shorelines, extinct volcanoes, massive earthquakes, and mineral riches. Join Mesa College geology professor, Don Barrie, for an exciting week of hands-on geoscience as we learn to better understand the Earth beneath our feet. Highlights include a fossil hunting expedition to a local beach and a tour of a Julian gold mine.

Through hands-on learning, field trips, computer work, and guided investigations, students will gain a deeper insight into how our Earth works, including:
• How to distinguish common rocks and minerals in hand specimen
• Why we have so many earthquakes in southern California
• How seismologists measure earthquakes
• What powers explosive volcanic eruptions
• What local rock units tell us about San Diego’s geologic history
• Where the gold in our local mountains came from
• What processes are shaping San Diego’s beaches
Presented by Don Barrie, Professor, Mesa College
Course fee: $195.00
Course open to students in grades 7- 10.

2D- 3D Insani-D!: Modeling and Simulation With Flash and Alice
Monday- Friday, August 1- 5, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

In this fun and exciting five-day, hands-on workshop, students will learn to build cool 2D and 3D interactive animations. On the first day, you'll learn how to use Flash, the powerful 2D animation tool and the most popular tool on the Internet. On the second day you'll learn Alice, the free 3D animation and rendering tool used by many game developers. During the rest of the week, students will get some real hands-on game development experience using the built-in Blender Game Engine. Students will each get their own account on the StudentTECH course site where they can upload and share their games and animations with others. Students will be provided with all source files used in this workshop, too!

Presented by Jeff Sale, Programmer, San Diego Supercomputer Center
Course fee: $195.00
Course open to students in grades 9- 12.

August 8- 12, 2011

Learning About HTML5 and Web Development: The New Phase in Cutting Edge Programming
Monday- Friday, August 8- 12, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

This course is an introduction to web development technologies, through HTML5 and CSS. HTML5 is the latest major revision to HTML and is changing our understanding of the web. Students will learn how to build quality web pages using the latest technologies, and will come to understand how new technologies are affecting content on the web. This course is designed to give students a fundamental understanding of web design and development, enabling students to become proficient in the basic skills required to create their own website. This course is taught using classroom and lab instruction employing lecture and demonstration, in-class exercises, student participation, and class activities leading to a final project. Classes will include introductory concept presentations, followed by in-class exercises.
Presented by Toni Rouhana, Fab Lab San Diego
Course fee: $195.00
Course open to students in grades 9- 12.

August 15- 19, 2011

Making Music with Computers: Learning Techniques Used by the Pros!
Monday- Friday, August 15-19, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

In this course, the union of technology and music weaves a cloth of limitless possibilities for creativity and learning. Composer, recording engineer, and technologist Rick Snow leads students on a five day immersion into both the creative and technical sides of creating music and sound art using the free open source visual programming language Pure Data. As a composer of chamber and orchestral music as well as immersive works for computers and interactive systems Rick seeks to inspire students to harness the power of computers to create beautiful and complex sounds and music. With an emphasis on creative projects, this course focuses on developing facility with the open source programming language Pure-Data. Pure-Data affords the user the freedom to design their own sound synthesis and manipulation paradigms for use in Sound Design and Music Composition. As a source of inspiration, students will be introduced to the creative projects of world famous composers and sound artists. After participating in this course, student will have an understanding of acoustics, music theory, and sound design as they relate to computers. The students will also have completed their own compositions and even designed their own musical instruments using software.
Presented by Rick Snow, Department of Music, UCSD
Course fee: $195.00
Course open to students in grades 9- 12.

Exploring Our World and the Organisms Around Us: Helping to Make Our Planet Green
Monday- Friday, August 15- 19, 2011 – 8:30am - 3:00pm

Ecology is the scientific study of interactions of organisms with one another and with the physical and chemical environment. Although it includes the study of environmental problems such as pollution, the science of ecology mainly involves research on the natural world from many viewpoints, using many techniques. Modern ecology relies heavily on experiments, both in laboratory and in field settings.  In this workshop, we will be focusing on the coastal ecosystems found in San Diego and the similarities between these ecosystems and those around the around the world. Students will be studying a few of the different types of ecosystems found along the coast, focusing on estuaries, rocky intertidal zones, and sandy shores. Comparing the similarities and the differences between these ecosystems, students will observe the flora and fauna and the roles each of them play, as well as the niches they fill. Students will learn how each of these ecosystems is connected and the importance each one, how we have affected each one of these ecosystems and the potential influence this could have on our future. This workshop will include five days of coastal ecosystem exploration around San Diego. Students will participate in local field trips and hands-on activities, giving them a greater appreciation for the field of ecology.
Presented by Mark Flanders, Field Naturalist, Inside the Outdoors
Course fee: $195.00
Course open to students in grades 6, 7 or 8.

How to Apply

Complete workshop descriptions and registration information can be found at http://education.sdsc.edu/teachertech/index.php?module=ContentExpress&func=display&ceid=18.

Questions?

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Ange Mason, SDSC Education and Outreach, via phone at 858 534-5064 or email at amason@ucsd.edu