Summer Academy Campers Explore Artificial Intelligence Through Hands-On Computer Science

Missouri Military Academy Summer Academy middle school campers stepped into the role of junior data scientists during Computer Science with Ted R. Brauker, D.E.T., M.M., B.M., where they explored the growing fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence through hands-on projects. Feature image: Summer Academy camper Conner George holds up a fish caught in the Academy's Teardrop Lake while computer science instructor Dr. Ted Brauker uses a smartphone to test the machine learning model the class developed.

Rather than simply learning about AI, campers experienced the process behind it. They began by identifying real-world problems that could be solved by training a computer to recognize patterns. Working in teams, campers collected hundreds of images using Google Images to build datasets for their projects. Team leaders coordinated the effort as campers carefully reviewed and cleaned the data to ensure each image met the project's criteria.

Using Google's Teachable Machine platform, campers trained their own machine learning models to recognize and classify a variety of subjects, including fish species, tree types, dog breeds, denominations of currency and architectural styles.

After training their models, campers evaluated the results and learned how to interpret performance data, including confusion matrices. They also explored how factors such as learning rate and the number of training epochs affect a model's accuracy and performance.

Summer Academy camper Leo Sherwood casts a fishing line in Teardrop Lake. Campers caught fish to test their learning model for identifying fish species.

Throughout the course, Brauker emphasized that artificial intelligence is not a mysterious technology but one built through human creativity, critical thinking and careful preparation.

To enhance the learning experience, Brauker developed custom interfaces for each machine learning model, giving campers a more engaging way to test and interact with the systems they created.

While no machine learning model is perfect, the projects gave campers a firsthand look at how AI systems are built, trained and refined. The experience introduced them to one of today's fastest-growing fields while strengthening problem-solving, teamwork and analytical thinking skills that will serve them well in future academic pursuits.

Take a more in-depth look at the lessons from the Summer Academy Middle School Computer Science class.