The 2024 Rising Scholars Academy Unmanned Aircraft Systems Camp
The Rising Scholars Academy Unmanned Aircraft Systems Camp was held at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMU-CC) from June 24-28. This camp, a partnership between South Texas ISD and TAMU-CC, brought 20 middle school students from the Rising Scholars Academy in San Benito to the Island University for a week. Participants were housed in the dorms on the TAMU-CC campus, visited the Texas State Aquarium, the USS Lexington, and observed drones in flight while learning from the experts at Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center. Campers engaged in hands-on computer science and engineering activities, swam at the campus pool, and played interactive and icebreaker games.
“These camps are important for students because they introduce peer collaboration and the challenges that come with it,” said Cassandra Villalobos ’25, a computer science major and camp mentor. “Understanding that everyone has their own coding style and approaches problem-solving differently is key for effective teamwork.”
Each camper who attended the camp has a passion for engineering or computer science or was intrigued to learn more about it. The camp provided an entry-level coding experience using CoDrone EDU and featured four unmanned aircraft system (UAS) activities throughout the week. Using the Blockly coding system, students programmed drones to perform motion-based tasks, such as moving forward, backward, and sideways as well as spinning and landing. Additionally, the campers learned about electric circuits by creating a light-up greeting card with copper tape and batteries, and campers also participated in a marble run activity that implemented the engineering design process.
“Learning about if-else statements in computer science has been incredibly valuable to me,” said Matthew Kuntz, a seventh grader at RSA. “I aspire to pursue engineering while furthering my coding skills, so working with JavaScript has been fun. I've been doing similar programs in school, so I loved that the camp had coding be part of the schedule.”
On the final day, a ceremony was held to present awards and certificates to campers, teachers, and camp mentors. The certificates recognized the dedication of each camp mentor and teacher throughout the camp, and prizes were awarded to students based on their total scores in the various engineering and computer science challenges achieved during the week.
Ultimately, the students and teachers from Rising Scholars Academy say they look forward to coming back next year because they highly value the STEM opportunities provided by TAMU-CC.
“Reflecting on my time at camp, I have to say that my favorite part was the icebreaker activities,” said Daria Garber, a seventh grader at RSA. “They were a lot of fun and gave me a chance to connect with my peers. I am looking forward to returning next year, so I can learn more about operating and flying drones.”