Campus: Brownsville

Shipwrecked!

by jana

Land ahoy! Survivors of a shipwreck learn how to fend for themselves as they build camp, find clean water, and attempt to forage for food. Inspired by the adventure of Robinson Crusoe and Treasure Island, students get their hands dirty as they experiment their way to survival.

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Never Lose

by jana

No one likes to lose – especially when it can be avoided! Students explore and test a variety of game strategies using an unlikely tool, Connect 4. While playing this childhood classic, they’ll learn how to use reason, patience, and logic in pursuit of winning simple games from here on out.

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PFX

by jana

Practical effects popular in old Hollywood movies are brought back into style in PFX. Students get to tackle a wide selection of challenges that increase in difficulty as they progress. From constructing hydraulic-powered robots to manipulating fire, students learn invaluable skills, not to mention the ability to read, interpret, and follow critical directions.

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The Uncomfort Zone

by jana

“There is no illusion greater than fear.” – Lao Tzu

Outside of a necessary biological response to keep us alive, fear is nothing more than a thief of happiness, growth, and courage. Students practice using rational thought to cope with uncomfortable situations as they come face-to-face with their fight or flight response. Get ready to dive into activities like snake handling, eating new foods (bugs!), and getting an acupuncture treatment.

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Console Wars

by jana

Video games… in school?? You betcha! In this workshop, there are two sections: the engineers and the project managers. The engineers learn spatial reasoning and mechanical engineering skills through CAD and 3D printing to create a retro gaming console. The project managers must use their knowledge of home gaming consoles to inspire, direct, and hold accountable their engineers to deliver their console in time for Demo Day. On Demo Day, fellow students use all consoles to determine who created the highest-quality gaming experience!

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RoboOlympics

by jana

Calling all coding competitors! This Olympics-themed workshop is centered around building simple robots to compete in a Robot Decathlon (or maybe… a RoboThon?). Students build a tricked-out Raspberry Pi buggy to carry them through a series of courses and speed runs in hopes of becoming a RoboOlympian.

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