8 AI Summer Programs for Middle School Students
As technology continues to advance, the field of artificial intelligence continues to become bigger and bolder. Whether as Alexa or Siri, the role of AI in daily life will only keep growing and become more relevant in fields like engineering, medicine, and education. No matter which field you end up pursuing, knowing and understanding how AI works could be an advantage. This is why you should consider applying for an AI summer program for middle school students.
By learning about AI and machine learning, you will automatically set a strong foundation in computer science, data science, and engineering. These AI summer programs for middle school students will help you develop skills like programming in Python, training machine learning models, analyzing large datasets, and understanding neural networks. You will also have the chance to network with professionals in the field and build long-lasting connections that could help you in the future.
To help you get started, we have narrowed down a list of programs that offer a combination of theoretical knowledge and hands-on activities. Most of these also involve a project that will be useful to demonstrate your skills and learning in the future. Here are 8 AI summer programs for middle school students:
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is a virtual program for middle school students who want to develop an independent research project under the guidance of a mentor. You get to choose from a number of available research areas, one of which is AI & Data Science. In this track, you will learn the fundamentals of the field such as natural language processing, data analysis and visualization, and face/voice recognition. You will then dive into a specific topic and develop your independent project through weekly, 1-on-1 sessions with your mentor. Aside from having a completed research paper/presentation at the end of the program, you will also improve your writing, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
Location: Online
Cost: $2,400. Need-based financial aid is available
Program dates: The program runs for 8 weeks. The spring cohort begins on March 3
Application deadline: March 9 for the summer cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
The Berkeley Coding Academy’s Summer Program, titled “Data Science: The AI Journey”, is a 3-week program for students interested in data science and artificial intelligence. During the program, you will learn how to analyze big data, create data visualizations, and build machine learning models including deep learning models and XGBoost. The curriculum covers tools and concepts like plotting histograms, clearing null values, tuning linear regression, and building densely connected neural networks. You can go through the details here.
You will also create your own coding notebooks and work on real-world applications of AI within small groups. Towards the end of the program, you will work on a final project using a dataset of your own choice and then present your research, coding, and findings. On completion of the program, you will receive a certificate.
Acceptance rate: Not available
Cohort size: 40
Location: Online
Cost: Ranges from $2,089-$4,897 (depending on how early you sign up and if you want additional instruction in Python). Limited scholarships are available.
Program dates: July 14 – August 1
Application deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Students aged 12-18
Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers is a virtual program for middle school students interested in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data analysis. As a participant, you will get familiar with using Python and explore topics like regression, neural networks, image classification, deep learning, sentiment analysis, and AI ethics. The program consists of lectures, group discussions, and a group project with 3-5 other students. The projects generally explore the intersection of AI with other fields, such as creating an algorithm to detect propaganda in speeches or using neural networks to classify medical images. Learn more about the program here.
Location: Online
Cost: $1,990. Need-based financial aid is available
Program dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) for the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) for the summer cohort
Application deadline: February 23 for the spring cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8
Northwestern University’s Center for Talent Development offers academic enrichment programs for students across various grades. One of these is the Robotic Vehicles with AI Discovery Academy, a 3-week course that explores artificial intelligence and Internet of Things (IoT) engineering. This a project-based program during which you and your peers will collaborate to construct your own self-driving, robotic car. In the process, you will learn C++ and develop skills in programming microcontrollers, assembling motors and sensors, and connecting to the cloud. This is an Indigo Tier Accelerated Course, which means it is intensive in nature and compresses advanced, AP-level coursework into a shorter timeframe.
Acceptance rate: Not available
Cohort size: Not available
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost: $3,620 for the tuition fees and $2,405 for residential fees. Limited financial aid and scholarships are available.
Program dates: July 20 – August 8
Application deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis
Eligibility: Students in grades 6-8 who have achieved the required test scores. You can find more details under the Indigo Tier on this page.
North Carolina State University’s summer day camps offer middle school students the chance to explore engineering and computer science through a collaborative, hands-on approach. One of the available camps is “Computer Science: AI Play”, during which you will get an introduction to all things AI. Each day focuses on a different fundamental concept such as perception, machine learning, natural interaction, and AI ethics.
However, the main focus of the program is on the use of AI in game design. It uses playful activities to teach you about AI, like creating a conversational non-player character in a game to further understand natural language processing. Previous students have also developed code to guide a robotic ball through an obstacle course. You can read more about last year’s program here.
Acceptance rate: Not available
Cohort size: Not available
Location: NC State University, Raleigh, NC
Cost: $500. Limited, need-based financial aid
Program dates: July 21-25
Application deadline: March 28
Eligibility: Students entering grades 6-8
An initiative under the umbrella of MIT’s RAISE (Responsible AI for Social Empowerment and Education) program, this Creativity and AI workshop aims to introduce elementary and middle school students to AI and smart machines at an early age so they can better understand the technology around them. However, this is not a typical workshop. It is an MIT-formulated curriculum and you will need help from a parent or teacher to conduct all the activities.
As a participant, you will learn how to use AI and machine learning to create art. You will use neural networks and generative adversarial networks (GANs) to work with different forms of media like text, images, music, and videos. The curriculum’s focus is on using technology to enhance your creativity and imaginative capabilities. At the same time, you will explore ethical issues around generative AI such as questions about ownership and the existence of deepfakes. You can go through the full curriculum here.
Acceptance rate: Not applicable
Cohort size: Not applicable
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Program dates: This is a self-paced program that takes place over 10 hours
Application deadline: None
Eligibility: All upper elementary and middle school students
New York University’s Science of Smart Cities is a 4-week summer program that dives into engineering, computer science, and technology and explores how these fields can make cities more sustainable, efficient, and safe. The program includes plenty of hands-on activities and previous students have worked with Internet of Things (IoT) concepts, solar energy, smart car technologies, climate-measuring drones, and smart bridges. For the final project of the program, you will work in teams to develop a smart city model and then present it at the SoSC Expo.
You will also enhance your knowledge about energy, physical sciences, natural phenomena, and urban science. While this program doesn’t directly address artificial intelligence, you will learn how to work with microcontrollers, sensors, circuitry, electronics, and coding — all of which are skills you need while exploring AI. Building a smart city model will also involve elements of machine learning and AI. Additionally, as a fully funded NYU course, this is a prestigious program that could enhance your academic profile.
Acceptance rate: Not available
Cohort size: Not specified. The previous program hosted 65 students.
Location: New York University, New York, NY
Cost: Free
Program dates: July 7 – August 8
Application deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Students between the ages of 12-14 who are NYC residents
AI for Oceans is one of the courses available on Code.org, a free, coding platform for students hosted by a non-profit organization. This program is ideal for middle school students interested in marine biology and artificial intelligence. The online course begins with the basics of machine learning, after which you will train a machine learning model to differentiate between fish and trash. You will also teach the AI a new, more subjective descriptor such as “triangular” or “angry” fish. In the process, you will learn how to use training data, understand the role of human bias, and explore AI’s impact on society.
Acceptance rate: Not applicable
Cohort size: Not applicable
Location: Online
Cost: Free
Program dates: This is a 1-hour course
Application deadline: You can sign up any time
Eligibility: Students in grades 3-12
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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