Beginning July 9 and continuing through Aug. 3, the University of Alabama is offering a series of camps that serve to introduce computer science concepts to middle and high school students. The middle school camp was held July 9-13, while the three high school camps were held July 16-20, July 23-27 and July 30-Aug. 3.

“It’s growing fast,” Jeff Gray, associate professor in the Department of Computer Science, said. “Almost too fast.”

This is the second year Gray has headed the UA camp, but he has been overseeing computer science summer camps since he first organized one at UAB in 2004. In the intermittent years, he said the camps have become so popular that they threaten to overtake his other work.

The objective of the camp, which hosts students from twelve states, along with international students from Hong Kong, Beijing and Germany, is to introduce computer science concepts to students that they might not otherwise encounter in their studies.

“It’s an open field as far as employment goes,” Amber Wagner, a Ph.D. student who assisted Gray this year in the overseeing and management of the camp, said.

Wagner also started the computer science program at the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where she taught for three years before working in the corporate world for another three years. After her time in the workforce, Wagner returned to school at UA.

The middle school camp focused on teaching Alice, a programming environment that the campers used to make simple video games. The high school camps focused on a different concept each week: Java the first week, robotics the second and smartphone apps the third.

“I enjoyed being able to learn all this new stuff,” Jewels Harris, a rising eighth grader at the Tuscaloosa Magnet School, said. “It was really fun.”

Harris said the time she spent at the camp sparked her interest in the computer science and engineering concepts she was introduced to, an interest that may affect her decisions regarding college and beyond.

There are benefits to learning about computer science, even if it isn’t the primary area of study, however.

“At this camp, students really learn the value of computer science, which is very important,” Wagner said. “Dr. Gray has compared it to being a writer: You don’t have to have majored in English to be a great writer. The same concept applies to computer science. Knowing the concepts can be helpful even if you’re not in the major.”

Wagner said teaching, though, is often its own reward.

“Personally, I really love to teach and work with the students,” she said. “I’m passionate about the subject, and I like spreading the knowledge.”

The future of the program and the field is bright, as well. Gray commented that the camp had expanded to the point where some students had to be turned away. He also expressed some surprise at the number of girls who attended the camp this year.

“In 2004, I only had four students, three of whom are now Ph.D. students,” Gray said. “It has really pushed me to continue.”