NUI Galway recently held their third annual Computing Summer Camp. Due to the high demand for places, this year the Computing Summer Camp ran over a two-week period with 80 students participating. Students ranged in age from 13 to 17, and came from secondary schools across Galway City and County, as well as from Clare and Donegal.

Throughout the camp students participated in a number of activities including writing computer games, creating web animations, building and programming autonomous robots, and making 3D computer models.

Students were also awarded prizes for their work throughout the camp. For the robotics competition, students have to design and program a robot to shoot or knock over paper aliens as quickly as possible.

Dr Michael Madden, Head of the Information Technology Discipline at NUI Galway, said: “We are very impressed with the high quality of students’ projects at the Computing Summer Camp this year, and the speed at which they are able to pick up new technologies. It appears that recent initiatives such as CoderDojo are having a positive effect on young people’s digital literacy. The huge interest in this year’s Computing Summer Camp is mirrored by the increasing number of applications for computing degree programmes, such as the BSc in Computer Science and Information Technology at NUI Galway.”

Dr Madden is also involved in an initiative to introduce computer science as a secondary school subject, through a pilot programme for short courses in the Junior Cycle that being run by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. Several schools, led by Gairmscoil Mhuire Vocational School in Athenry, are preparing to offer for a Short Course in Computer Science, to begin in September 2012.

-ENDS-