Published: May 27, 2008 08:19 am      

EKU offers summer computer camps

Eastern Kentucky University’s Department of Computer Science will offer a variety of summer day camps for children ages 7-18.

The cost to attend is $120 per session and a limited number of scholarships are available. Each session meets mornings or afternoons Monday through Thursday for one week.

Camp offerings are:

• Robotics, Wallace 455, combine drag-and-drop programming with the fun of Legos; Make your robot do things such as play tag and even dance; June 9-12; ages 7-10, 8 a.m.-noon or 1-5 p.m.; June 16-19, ages 11-14, 8 a.m.-noon; June 16-19, ages 7-10, 1-5 p.m.; June 23-26, ages 11-14, 8 a.m.-noon; June 23-26, ages 7-10, 1-5 p.m.; July 7-10, ages 11-14, 8 a.m.-noon; July 7-10, ages 7-10, 1-5 p.m.; July 14-17, ages 7-10, 8 a.m.-noon; and July 14-17, ages 14-18, 1-5 p.m.

• Animation, Wallace 449, create simple animations by moving a created image frame by frame; with this program you can make simple movies and games; this is a great launcher into Game Design, the higher level of animation; June 9-12, ages 11-14; 8 a.m.-noon; and June 16-19, ages 7-10, 1-5 p.m.

• Game Design, Wallace 449, use Flash Animation and Actionscript to create fun and interesting games, animations, and interactive pages and even create a Web site; June 23-26, ages 11-14, 8 a.m.-noon; July 7-10, ages 11-14, 8 a.m.-noon

• Dark Basic, Wallace 449, make a 3-D world using a fun and easy-to-learn program; combining a simple programming language and DirectX graphic capabilities, this is a sure way to jump start an interest in programming; June 9-12, ages 14-18, 1-5 p.m.

• Japanese Animation; Wallace 449, learn to draw Japanese style cartoons and add in simple animation and sound effects that will take the picture to an entirely different level; go from a paper version of any drawing to a stunning computerized version; June 23-26, ages 11-14, 1-5 p.m.; July 14-17, ages 11-14, 1-5 p.m.

• Computerized Song & Dance, Wallace 449, test different sounds and organize them in any way on the computer to form a personalized song; upon completion of the song create a dance to flow with the beat; June 16-19, ages 7-10, 8 a.m.-noon; July 14-17, ages 11-18, 8 a.m.-noon.

• Alice, Wallace 449, a simple drag-and-drop form of animation that allows the creator to create short movies and animated greeting cards; this camp will focus on the storytelling version of Alice; July 7-10, ages 11-14, 1-5 p.m.

A limited number of scholarships are available for children in need of financial assistance to come to camp. Minorities (including females) from low-income families are strongly encouraged to apply. The child will need a letter of recommendation from a teacher, including how he/she fits the scholarship requirements (e.g., minority and/or need for financial assistance).

The teacher should comment on the student’s interest in coming to camp, work ethic, ability to follow directions, attendance and the ability to get along with others. Reading comprehension, math and science skills are most helpful. Transportation will not be provided by the camp. Teachers will need to address any transportation concerns.

The child will need to write a letter stating why he/she wants to come to camp and provide contact information. Send letters to: Department of Computer Science, 521 Lancaster Ave., Wallace 417, Attention: Donna Morgan, Richmond, KY 40475, or to donna.morgan@eku.edu.

The letters will be reviewed by the scholarship committee. Once the decision is made, all who apply for the scholarship will then be contacted as to whether or not they received a scholarship. The deadline to apply for a scholarship is May 31.

For more information about the camps, select the Summer Camps link at www.cs.eku.edu, visit people.eku.edu/morgando/index.html or call the Department of Computer Science at 622-2398.

To register for a camp, call 622-1228 or 1-877-358-6742 or visit the Community Education Office in Room 229 of the Perkins Building on Kit Carson Drive, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.