Summer camps turn high-tech this year as robotics, AI keep students engaged

Chennai: From learning the basics of robotics to working with sensors and grasping the fundamentals of aeronautics and aerospace, private and govt organisations are transitioning towards science-and tech-centred summer camps this year.Starting Monday, students can join day-long certificate courses/sessions on drone dynamics, rocket-making and telescopes for two to three weeks to hone their skill sets. The state higher education dept's TN science and technology centre has launched eight camps to be held from May 5 to 23 for students of classes VI-IX."Each camp caters to one specific subject. We are offering workshops on foldscope (to understand the principles of microscopy), telescope making, Arduino-based robotics and drones and artificial intelligence, besides general science. A maximum of 50 students will be admitted per camp on a first-come, first-served basis," Durga, centre member and one of the organisers, said, adding that the first five govt school students enrolling per camp can attend the sessions free of cost.Anna Centenary Library has also introduced its share of science and tech into its camps this year. "We have launched a robotics course for students, which will be held from May 1 to 15 from 4pm to 6pm," S Kamatchi, chief librarian, said.Short-duration camps are also in the picture. Socio Economic Development Trust, in collaboration with HCL, is organising a free four-day camp at Kalam Science Centre at Maraimalai Adigal Govt Higher Secondary School in Pallavaram from April 27."Nearly 100 students from 50 schools are participating. The sessions include experiments on concepts such as light, motion, energy, reactions, colour change through STEM labs. We have also planned solar observations through telescopes and quiz contests for students," said Ravi Kasim, headmaster.Private players are also turning towards aerospace, a relatively unexplored field. "We have crafted aeronautics and aerospace programmes, teaching students the basics through storytelling methods. Students aged 6-10 will be in one group, who will be taught up to 25 different topics. For students aged more than 10, domain-focused sessions on drone and satellite technology will be conducted," said Jagadeesh Kanna, founder, Vaayusastra. Nambi Narayanan's firm Space Mind is a mentor for the programme.Industry experts attribute the trend to a growing necessity to groom students towards technology."With AI taking over, we need more problem-solvers than thinkers. This is why this year, we have rebranded our camp as ‘Make a Mindset' curriculum. Students will be provided kits equipped with sensors and microcontrollers with minimal wiring. They can learn programming and make projects — from something as simple as an automatic night lamp or a fire alarm system to bigger and more complex things," said Divya Gopinath, founder, Little Monk.Educationists welcomed the trend, but said it also had to be complemented with everyday learning. "Such camps will become more and more common in coming years. But robotics or AI alone isn't education," said Balaji Sampath, educationist.
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