Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Build and code an interactive robot in this 3-week robotics program for middle school students on UCLA’s campus.
Course Description
Start with a sketch, a pile of ordinary materials, and a question: how can code make this creation move or respond? Students combine craft supplies or recycled materials with a Hummingbird robotics kit to turn an idea into an interactive robot. The work makes engineering tangible because every design choice has to function as well as look intentional.
Students plan, build, program, test, and revise their creations. They use text-based languages such as JavaScript and Python to control behavior, then troubleshoot when the physical build and the code do not work together as expected. Possible projects include an interactive display, a model inspired by a favorite myth, or a responsive creature for a robotic zoo.
The project develops through repeated cycles of construction and debugging. Students make creative decisions, solve technical problems, and learn how programmers and engineers improve a prototype. By the end, each student has a personally meaningful robotic creation that combines coding, engineering, and craftsmanship.
This three-week course is part of Summer Discovery’s Institute for the Gifted program on UCLA’s campus. The course is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect active academic exploration with campus life, growing independence, new friendships, and a clearer sense of what students may want to explore next.
A supplemental course fee of $295 applies.
What Will You Do?
• Sketch a personally meaningful robot and plan how it should move or respond
• Build a robot using craft or recycled materials and a Hummingbird kit
• Write JavaScript or Python code to control interactive behavior
• Test connections between the physical design and the program
• Debug technical problems and revise the robot through repeated trials
• Create an interactive display, story-based model, or robotic zoo creature
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Design and construct a creative robot that responds through programmed behavior
• Apply JavaScript or Python to control and revise an interactive build
• Test, troubleshoot, and improve a prototype using engineering problem-solving
Students will leave with a personally meaningful robotic creation, practical exposure to coding and engineering, and a clearer sense of which parts of robotics they may want to explore next.
Why Creative Robotics Skills Matter
Creative robotics asks students to connect imagination with precise problem-solving. An idea only becomes interactive when the structure, materials, and code work together. Building and testing a robot helps students break a larger challenge into manageable parts, spot why something is not working, and make purposeful revisions.
Coding adds another layer of logic, while designing the physical creation keeps the process visual and hands-on. Students practice persistence without treating mistakes as failure because each test produces useful information. These habits support future learning in engineering, computer science, art, design, and any setting where people create, test, and improve ideas.
Who Should Attend?
This gifted course is for middle school students who have completed 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and like building, coding, crafting, inventing, or figuring out why something does not work yet. It suits students interested in robotics as well as creative makers who want to see how art, storytelling, engineering, and programming can come together in one project.
Students should be ready to work with text-based code, test ideas repeatedly, solve problems, and revise a physical creation. View the eligibility requirements for the Institute for the Gifted on our FAQ page. Completed program application.
Why UCLA?
UCLA gives middle-school students an energetic place to learn, have fun, and experience campus life in Los Angeles. The setting brings together science, technology, creativity, entertainment, and culture, helping new subjects feel connected to a wider world of ideas.
The program combines hands-on academics with friendships, campus activities, clear routines, and support as students become comfortable in a large university environment. Students can try new challenges, share interests with peers, and build confidence through participation without needing to decide where those interests will lead. For families, UCLA offers a structured middle-school experience that balances substantive learning with fun, community, and age-appropriate independence. Students leave with new memories and a clearer sense of what they may want to explore next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification of completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive