June 12-30, 2023
This link will take you to an external site for event registration.
The School of Arts, Media and Engineering annually hosts a summer program for students ages 12 to 18, featuring 5-day, project-focused workshops.
Students work directly with faculty and graduate students who are experts in their field. Open to students of all levels of experience, we offer a variety of interdisciplinary classes infused with ideas and practices from the arts, music, digital media, computer science, technology and engineering. Future makers, artists, designers, engineers, and entrepreneurs will learn skills valuable for the technology-infused, fast-paced 21st century. We are excited to work with you this summer - come spark your creativity integrating arts, science and engineering!
The June 2023 program will be in-person at ASU's Mesa MIX Center and on ASU’s Tempe Campus. There are three independent weeks of classes available. Students register for a Track that contains two classes, morning and afternoon. Cost is $375 per week if you register by May 1st. $425 if registering after May 1st. Select grant supported tracks cost $50 per week if you register by May 1st. $90 if registering after May 1st.
TRACK A: GANs and Games
June 12-16 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 6th-9th
How Computers See
Together we will use digital media examples to learn how computers think and see, and show how computers and cameras can be intelligent, savvy, and what artificial intelligence (AI) will be able to revolutionize in the future
Code for Games with Unity
Learn how to code by creating your own game! Write a program for a game using the C# programming language and the Unity game development engine, an industry standard and free-for-students game development tool. Learn the fundamentals of code and game development and work with media assets like images and sounds.
TRACK C: Storytelling and SFX
June 12-16 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 9th-12th
Immersive Storytelling
Storytelling is a crucial part of our lives: work, personal relationships, intellectual, psychological, historical, and emotional pursuits; with the advent of new technologies and methods of storytelling, we see a shift toward immersive storytelling. In this class you will learn to tell stories in a new way, spatially, digitally, and in immersive formats, exploring tools like Adobe Premiere, After Effects, and Photoshop, and use physical paper prototyping, improv, and other tools for ideating stories, refining and reiterating designs, and quick prototyping.
Green Screen for Special Effects
Record, edit and star in your own green screen video. Learn about digital color, how chromakey works, and what role it plays in video production. Learn skills for video recording, editing and production.
TRACK D: Creative AI
June 19-23 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 6th-9th
How Computers See
Together we will use digital media examples to learn how computers think and see, and show how computers and cameras can be intelligent, savvy, and what artificial intelligence (AI) will be able to revolutionize in the future
Writing with Robots
Explore the world of language and artificial intelligence. Build twitter-type bots, use AI to write jokes, compose short stories with some computational help and more!
TRACK E: 3D Worlds
June 19-23 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 6th-9th
Designing VR worlds in Dreamscape
Explore the cutting-edge of virtual reality development! Learn to use the Unity Engine to make 3D worlds and create immersive, multi-user experiences on the ASU Dreamscape Learn platform, where you and your friends can walk around and interact with your VR creations."
3D Animation in Blender
Learn the fundamentals of 3d animation - model, animate and render using Blender. Blender is a free and open source software for creating animation.
TRACK F: Pixel Worlds
June 19-23 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 6th-9th
Pixel Art
Learn about the fundamentals of digital images and create 2d pixel art with non-digital and digital methods.
Learning to Code With Minecraft
Using Minecraft, learn programming fundamentals while building your own city! Students will take part in practical lessons that combine their creative building skills with elements of source code. This course is intended for beginner and novice students looking for a place to get started on their own coding adventure.
TRACK G: Audio Art
June 19-23 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 9th-12th
Musical Micros
In this class we will use the Happy Brackets framework to make music on Raspberry Pi micro computers. The Pis will be networked so we can use the accelerometer to control and perform other Pis. Some have experience with programming is best, but an interest in music and programming is all you need.
Introduction to Audio Production and Studio Principles
This course introduces audio fundamentals in theory and practice, including an overview of studio technologies and basic recording procedures. Students will explore the creative and technical use of digital audio workstation (DAW) software to produce music, students will learn fundamental production skills including system configuration and customization, session organization, workflow, and file management.
TRACK H: Cameras and Composites
June 26-30 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 6th-9th
How Computers See
Together we will use digital media examples to learn how computers think and see, and show how computers and cameras can be intelligent, savvy, and what artificial intelligence (AI) will be able to revolutionize in the future
Green Screen for Special Effects
Record, edit and star in your own green screen video. Learn about digital color, how chromakey works, and what role it plays in video production. Learn skills for video recording, editing and production.
TRACK I: Blocks and Beats
June 26-30 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 6th-9th
Learning to Code With Minecraft
Using Minecraft, learn programming fundamentals while building your own city! Students will take part in practical lessons that combine their creative building skills with elements of source code. This course is intended for beginner and novice students looking for a place to get started on their own coding adventure.
Digital Sound Design
Explore field recording, sampling, and manipulation of audio samples for use in games, film, and electronic music composition. Learn various digital audio workstations software and digital sound editing techniques.
TRACK J: 3D Worlds
June 26-30 | M-F | 9:00 AM–4:00 PM | Grades 9th-12th
Designing VR worlds in Dreamscape
Explore the cutting-edge of virtual reality development! Learn to use the Unity Engine to make 3D worlds and create immersive, multi-user experiences on the ASU Dreamscape Learn platform, where you and your friends can walk around and interact with your VR creations.
Programming in Swift
Learn how to program using the Swift programming language. No previous programming experience required. Swift is a powerful modern programming language created at Apple and used by professional programmers to create popular apps for iPhones, iPads, and other platforms too. The class will use fun and creative projects to teach fundamental programming concepts such as variables, types, conditional statements, loops, and functions.
How Computers See is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Who teaches the courses? |
Faculty from the School of Arts, Media, and Engineering - part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts - develop the curriculum and teach the class or supervise a graduate student. Undergraduate students serve as classroom assistants and extra staff. |
Is there an age requirement for the summer program? |
Classes are split by grade level, typically middle school (rising 6th-9th) and high school (rising 9th to 12th). 9th graders can choose either track. Students who are set to graduate this Spring, 2023 may attend the high school classes. |
What is the cancellation policy? |
Refund policy is 100% before May 1; 50% before June 5 |
Does your program include an overnight option? |
No. This is a day program. Doors are open for in-person classes from 9AM to 4PM, instructional time from 9:30 to 3:30, with an hour break for lunch. |
Does your program fee include lunch? |
No. Students must bring a sack lunch and water bottle with them. |
Will students need to purchase any materials or software? |
No. Any provided materials costs are included in the tuition fee. |
Should my student bring a computer with them? |
We provide all necessary technology including laptops. We ask that all students bring a flash drive to save their work. We strongly discourage students from bringing computers with them as we cannot be responsible for personal property and many of our programs will not be available on personal devices. Mobile phones are allowed but should be put away during instructional time. |
The Digital Culture Summer Institute was created by the School of Arts, Media and Engineering - part of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at ASU. AME's innovative Media Arts and Sciences program offers students interdisciplinary degrees learning technology, design, media and art. For more information, please visit ame.asu.edu.
For questions contact:
loren.olson@asu.edu
kimberlee.swisher@asu.edu