Middle schoolers from around Lincoln traded a week of their summer for Python, as the School of Computing's SoC CLICKS camp welcomed campers to Avery Hall Aug. 3-7 for a week of coding, problem-solving, and hands-on STEM exploration.
Now in its second year, SoC CLICKS (School of Computing CLICKS) is designed for middle school students of any experience level, no prior programming required. Led by camp director and associate professor Bonita Sharif alongside co-organizing faculty assistant professor of practice Seth Polsley and assistant professor Robert Dyer, and lead curriculum writer Bethany, campers spent the week building a game in Python.
Along the way, they learned to think in loops and conditionals, debug code that didn't work, and keep trying when a solution didn't work the first time (or the fifth). Between coding sessions, campers explored campus, visiting the recreation center, the planetarium, and research labs. In addition, there were friendly competitions involving various unplugged STEM activities and a game of tag after lunch. The week closed with a showcase where campers presented their projects to family and friends.
None of it would have been possible without a full team behind the scenes: lead undergraduate volunteers Liam and Matt, along with volunteers Max, Stefan, Lilyana, Irene, Haley, Sheila, Mohammad, Mohanendra, Roland, Kang-il (official camp photographer), Sabrina, Michael, Ethan, Travis, and Sandarika. Staff across the College of Engineering and School of Computing also helped pull together T-shirts, bags, and activity materials.
Registration for next summer's SoC CLICKS camp opens at the end of January. To learn more, visit the SoC CLICKS website.
