Exploring what’s possible at UofL’s summer camps

While many college students are away for the summer, UofL's campus is anything but quiet.

Classrooms, laboratories and athletic facilities are filled with middle and high school students exploring new interests through more than 30 academic and athletic camps. From basketball and robotics to chemistry and artificial intelligence, they're getting an early look at college life while discovering what's possible.

One of UofL's newest summer opportunities is the College of Business day camps focused on artificial intelligence.

Through AI Thinker Labs, students learn how artificial intelligence works, examine the ethical questions surrounding the technology and discover how it can be used responsibly in fields like marketing, leadership and finance.

By the end of the day, every participant leaves with a project of their own, whether it's a business idea, marketing campaign or app concept.

"Our goal is to show rising high school students how AI can enhance their learning abilities, not replace them," said Steve Von Gerlachter, an instructor in the College of Business. "My hope is that these students leave with more knowledge and more confidence about how to use AI as they finish high school and enter college, hopefully here at UofL."

UofL employees like program manager Lexus Gardner offered organizational and logistical planning for the camp, while UofL's Digital Transformation Center made the opportunity more accessible for learners by offering financial support.

The initiative reflects Cardinal Intelligence, UofL's university-wide initiative to proactively and responsibly engage with the opportunities and challenges of emerging AI technologies.

Across campus, hands-on learning continues in the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Chemistry.

The department's second annual summer chemistry camp has grown from just seven students in its inaugural year to 83 middle and high school participants from across the region.

Led by General Chemistry Lab Coordinator and Instructor , the program was held over two one-week sessions, giving each camper an immersive experience in a university chemistry laboratory through hands-on experiments and scientific discovery.

Hosted in the department's modern undergraduate teaching laboratories in the Belknap Academic Building, campers explored how light interacts with matter using visible-light spectrophotometers and investigated concepts including absorbance, fluorescence, phosphorescence and light scattering. For most participants, it was their first experience working in a university chemistry laboratory.

Designed to be largely self-sustaining through registration fees, the camp also prioritized accessibility. Thanks to the support of participating families and a generous donation from Clariant, financial assistance was provided to 29 students, helping make the program possible for young scientists.

The camp was supported by seven undergraduate student leaders who mentored campers throughout the program while strengthening their own leadership, communication and teaching skills.

"There are not a lot of opportunities in chemistry for students to work in a laboratory before college.This gives them that chance," said Hrishikesh Bhatt, a camp leader.

Roselline Peralta Danger, another camp leader, said the camp "allows students to get leadership opportunities they wouldn't get anywhere else."

Whether they're programming an AI application, conducting chemistry experiments, building a robot or sharpening their skills on the court or field, every camper this summer leaves with something more than new knowledge: a glimpse of what their future at UofL could look like.