While most high school students were out basking in the last rays of summer, a group of young women spent a week at Bryant University soaking up knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) and data science (DS).
From interacting with robots to learning how to code in Python, the Future InnovateHERs program was a bit different than your typical summer camp, but Program Director Geri Louise Dimas, Ph.D., said students gained valuable skills and connections in a field where women have traditionally been underrepresented.
“Some of the girls were pleasantly surprised with how much they enjoyed things like Python,” said Dimas, an assistant professor in Bryant’s Information Systems and Analytics Department. “One student came in saying she didn’t really know what to expect and was not sure she would enjoy it, and now she’s excited to keep learning it.”
“That was really the goal and objective, to expose students to the opportunity, to learn these things early on, and decide how and where they want to use them in their future.”
Almely Polanco, a student at Blackstone Valley Prep, a Rhode Island-based charter school, said she got to experience a host of AI-enabled technologies for the first time. For example, “We created a human conversation as a podcast, and it sounded real,” she said. “I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s insane.’”
“I found out about a bunch of new ways to use AI to my advantage, like NotebookLM [an online research and note-taking powered by Google Gemini]. I will be using that to study for my classes,” added Polanco.
“I found out about a bunch of new ways to use AI to my advantage."
Campers started the week with a basic introduction to AI and DS, the differences between the two, and the ethical and responsible considerations when using these technologies.
On the first day of camp, participants visited Bryant’s Artificial Intelligence Lab, where Chen Zhang, Ph.D., an associate professor of Information Systems and Analytics, introduced them to the institution’s programmable humanoid robots, Pepper and NAO. Students then developed a prompt to command the robots.
“We had a lot of cool interactions, like the robots and virtual reality,” said camper Mollie Chiappetta, another student at Blackstone Valley Prep. “I thought it would be a lot more writing and sitting at a computer, but it was like not like that at all.”
“They got a taste for all the technology that AI can offer to them,” said Suhong Li, Ph.D., chair of the Information Systems and Analytics Department, who led a day-two session on generative AI interactions and tools.
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After spending the third day of camp studying Python — a programming language used in web development, data analysis, artificial intelligence, machine learning, scientific computing, and automation — students put what they learned into action in Bryant’s Data Visualization Lab, using coding to solve puzzles through a virtual reality (VR) experience.
“Students explored the power of data visualization and how to tell a story through data using many of the same tools as data science and analytics professionals,” including Power BI and Python for Data Viz, said Dimas.
“Students explored the power of data visualization and how to tell a story through data using many of the same tools as data science and analytics professionals."
“I'm growing up around AI, I’m seeing it in school, but no one's really talking about how when it can be used and when it cannot,” said camper Caroline Couture, a student at the Bancroft School in Worcester, Massachusetts. “We've always been told you can never use it; you can never touch it. I think getting to see a different perspective — that it's useful for some things, but it can't do everything, and here's how we can better understand it — was a really good experience.”
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The week of camp culminated with project presentations, where students demonstrated what they had learned to their instructors and parents.
Mollie’s mother, Christie Chiappetta, a science education coordinator in the Milton, Massachusetts, school district, was impressed with campers’ work.
“Our students are not exposed to some of these tools yet, so this was a good introduction,” she said. “I think having the instructors all be women in the field is exciting and engaging for the girls. As educators, we're all struggling to figure out how to teach kids, how to use the different tools that are coming out, and this was a great opportunity to meet people who use them.”
Thanks to the camp, Christie said roles have reversed with her daughter when it comes to AI. “She's going to be teaching me now,” she said.
Erin Couture, Caroline’s mother, praised the camp for encouraging her daughter and the other students “to really feel they have this safe space where they're the leadership.”
“The camp was open to everyone but focused on highlighting women representation and giving a space for female-identifying students to come and experience a field that oftentimes feels distant to them,” said Dimas.