A: Pre-college summer camps are intended for mature, self-motivated teenagers. If your child is responsible, independent and interested in the subject matter, the program should be appropriate.

A: School of Computing and Informatics pre-college summer camps are not offered for college credit. However, the programming experience is related to college programming classes.

A: The program provides a rich learning environment for students. Fundamental concepts in science, engineering, computing and robotics are explored, with a focus on the practical nature of each subject. Courses concentrate on real world application of the subject. Students learn teamwork and responsibility through participation in group projects presented to industry professionals, friends and family.

A: Many colleges and schools offer robotics camps and students learn computer programming through playing robots and robotics games. In these regards, SCI Robotics Camp is similar because the program also teaches computer programming, game programming and robotic software development. However, the program is developed from a pilot program sponsored by U.S. Department of Education, which offers additional benefits as it covers the latest software development technology, i.e., service-oriented computing, and thus students will be exposed to this modern software technology early in their learning career. Service-oriented computing facilitates rapid software development and encourages software reuse. The new software development approach has been adopted by all major computer and software companies, including IBM, Microsoft, SAP and Sun Microsystems, as well as government agencies such as U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Defense and the State of Arizona. Learning service-oriented computing will give students a head start in their science and engineering career.

A: Service-oriented computing and software oriented software development are easier than traditional programming, because the new software development approach is based on pre-developed software services (components). Instead of software development by programming using a high-level programming language, students in the Robotics Camp will learn to develop software using drag-and-drop methods based on pre-developed components. As we all know, making Lego pieces is more difficult than using the pre-made Lego pieces to construct different objects.

A: The Robotics Camp will have an open Robotics Competition on the last day of class (July 3). The students will complete for fun and prizes. Family and friends encouraged to attend to support their teams.

A: The software used in the camp is free and can be downloaded and installed on a personal computer, so a student can easily continue to exercise the skill and material learned. A 3-D animated virtual robot is available for downloading if a student does not own a physical robot. However, a physical robot, the Lego Mindstorm NXT robot, can be purchased in most electronics stores or directly from the Lego website. Sponsored by a special program of U.S. Department of Education, each participating teacher will take the robot home after the program.

A: Students are expected to attend the camp for which they register in its entirety. Group projects require involvement from all team-members of the camp. If your child needs to miss more than two days of the program due to family, school or other obligations, they should not apply. The subject matter of each camp is condensed into a short period of time, therefore missing even a few days can be detrimental to a student's understanding of the material and their ability to participate.

A: An ASU faculty member is responsible for the contents of the program and teaching the principles and concepts in science, engineering, computing and robotics. A graduate teaching assistant will supervise students' laboratory and hands-on work during the hours of class (lunch-break excluded). Students are accompanied on off-campus trips during course hours. It is mandatory for parents of students under 18 to sign and submit the Field Trip Permission Form before any child is permitted to leave campus with our faculty. This form will be included in the packet of materials sent after registration.

A: In the event that a student becomes ill during the camp or does not arrive within one hour of the course start time on any given day, we will call the emergency contact number. Parents will be asked to provide this emergency contact number at registration.

A: The camp fees do not include the cost of lunch. However, lunch area is available for self-prepared lunches. There are many restaurants in the immediate area and places to eat lunch on the premises.

A: For content-specific information, please contact Dr. Yinong Chen, Robotics Camp Coordinator, 480.965.2769.