Build-It-Yourself offers playful workshops that inspire and empower students to invent.
Build-It-Yourself Goals for each student
1. Be safe.
2. Have fun.
3. Get a constructive result.
4. Become inspired to build on your own.

Build-It-Yourself Workshop Features and Benefits:

  1. Specialists from Harvard, MIT and around the world collaborate with students in a global laboratory via a state-of-the-art webcast platform. Students learn to communicate clearly and concisely using technologies that will be vital in their future.
  2. Each project evolves from a storyline about a social issue and a challenge to use technology to solve or better understand that social issue. Students learn to apply technology for constructive ends.
  3. Build-It-Yourself content includes an online database of functional building blocks. These 'modules' enable students to build complex solutions relatively quickly.
  4. At Build-It-Yourself, the presentation of ideas is as important as the execution of ideas. Students must keep a lab book and must present their projects on the Web and in an exhibit. Students learn to sell their ideas and present in a way that attracts attention.
  5. Build-It-Yourself projects are playful and incorporate a broad range of disciplines including art, technology, communication, and social science skills. Build-It-Yourself programs appeal to boys and girls, artists and builders, young, and old.

Robots with an Attitude
Pre-Camp: June 21-25
Girls and Boys ages 8-13 • Cost: $575

Build a band of computer-controlled, funky, ‘steam punk’ robots that act out a storyline written by the class. Imagine a strange herd of aliens who want to export their inventions to Earth, or a team of robots with super powers who foil the evil doers.

Construction tools and materials include LEGO, Scratch, Robolab ‘premium quality junk’ and hot glue guns.

Construct an elaborate stage and record sound effects and dialogue. Invite your friends and family to a performance at the end of the project. We’ll post the event on the Web for all to see.

BIY Internship
June 28 – July 9*
Girls and Boys ages 12-14 • Cost: $1,150

The goal of this program is to prepare interns to inspire, mentor and guide other campers. You will develop building skills, PowerPoint presentation skills, and project management skills as you complete a typical Build-It-Yourself robotics project. During the first week you will complete the project below. During the second week you may choose to mentor new students or work on the Build-It-Yourself development team. Additional mentoring weeks can be arranged. 

Robotics Project for Interns

Do you like unusual computer games? The next generation of computer games will have a new dimension: exotic, real world, robotic characters that jump right off the screen onto a real playing field.

Build-It-Yourself is looking for a team of hot shot 'gamers' who will design computer controlled robotic baseball players.

The Build-It-Yourself Robot Game Design Workshop will introduce you to useful design, programming and construction techniques. Construction tools and materials include LEGO, Scratch, Robolab ‘premium quality junk’ and hot glue guns.

http://www.build-it-yourself.com/biy-projects/proj-game-machines/index-games.html

So you want to be a builder?
July 6-9*
Girls and Boys ages 6 – 8 • Cost: $500

Would you like to be a hot shot toy designer? Your mission is to invent a toy that will make your friends say, "I want one of those!"
Build amazing contraptions from LEGO, toy parts, craft materials and ‘premium quality junk’ that play music, dance, greet friends, earn money, deliver candy, wake you up in the morning and more. Stamp your inventions, "Made on another planet." Then present your projects on the Web.

http://www.build-it-yourself.com/biy-projects/proj-lab-setup/index-lab-setup.html

Soap Box Derby Workshop
July 12-16
Girls and Boys ages 9-13 • Cost: $575

Join the hottest racing team on the block!
Build the best looking and fastest racer on the planet and then compete for fame and glory on the Build-It-Yourself Gran Prix Circuit.

You will build a race car from wood, boxes and parts from a hardware store. Paint and decorate your creation so it will attract attention. Then climb aboard and test your racing skills around an obstacle course.

You must be fast and you must look cool!

http://www.build-it-yourself.com/biy-projects/proj-soap-box/index-soap-box.html

Robots That Earn Money (LEGO Robotics 101)
July 19-23
Girls and Boys ages 9 – 12 • Cost:$575

Build-It-Yourself is looking for some hot shot inventors to fix the global economy.

Your mission is to build a machine that creates value, entertains, offers a service, puts people to work, and pays its inventors handsomely. One young Build-It-Yourself engineer earned $27.25 in one day with his invention.

Bill Gates ... the next generation of builders will soon be ready to take your place!

Construction tools and materials include LEGO, Scratch, Robolab ‘premium quality junk’ and hot glue guns.

http://www.build-it-yourself.com/biy-projects/proj-money-makers/index-money-makers.html
Advanced LEGO Robotics - Chain Reaction Contraptions
July 26-30
Girls and Boys ages 9 – 13 • Cost: $575

Your mission is to build the ultimate candy vending machine that demonstrates teamwork - both human and machine teamwork. A quarter will start the whole contraption. One team's link will hand off its load of candy to the next team's link and so on, until finally the candy is catapulted to the customer.

This project requires complex, reliable, accurate mechanical mechanisms as well as clever sensing and programming. Campers should have prior LEGO experience!

Construction tools and materials include LEGO, Scratch, Robolab ‘premium quality junk’ and hot glue guns.

http://www.build-it-yourself.com/biy-projects/proj-rube-goldberg/index-chain.html
Digital Music Workshop
August 2-6
Girls and Boys ages 9 – 13 • Cost:$575

Music is an important measure of the soul of a civilization.
If we want to be measured as a hot shot civilization, we must
produce music that will reflect our creativity and our soul.
Your mission is to use computer tools to:

1) Develop a rhythm
2) Build lead riffs
3) Write lyrics
4) Create video clips
5) Program or “mash” your resources

This workshop is designed to help you be a cult hero. Your video creation will be posted on the Web for the world to see. Amadeus and Miley ... make way for the next super stars.
Computer Game Development Workshop
August 9-13
Girls and Boys ages 9 – 13 • Cost:$575

Want to make your own computer game? If you want to be a hot shot game designer, this is a good place to start.

Specify the game strategy and logic. (In the Build-It-Yourself world, violence and mayhem is outlawed.) Design graphics for friendly dragons, super heroes, villains and aliens. Layout fantasy settings. Record outrageous sound effects. Integrate all the components. Test the game with your friends and then post it on the Web for the world to play.

You will learn Scratch, a programming language developed at the MIT Media Lab.

Check out Scratch projects others have built.
http://www.build-it-yourself.com/biy-projects/proj-scratch-games/index-scratch-games.html

Build-It-Yourself Instructors

 John Galinato is the founder and project leader at Build-It-Yourself in Cambridge. After receiving a Master's degree in electrical engineering from Cornell, John worked on engineering teams to develop a submarine detection system, the lunar landing module, telemetry for a Venus fly-by, the Patriot missile system, computer graphics software and Web applications for more than 25 years.

A team of specialists primarily from the Harvard, MIT, Cornell and Mass Art communities as well as former Build-It-Yourself students guide the workshops.

[Please note: Build-It-Yourself workshops are rigorous. It is essential that students who enroll in a Build-It-Yourself program come eager to build and willing to work on teams of 2 or 3. Students must respect their teammates and their laboratory. Students must be prepared to focus intently on tasks such as drawing, documenting ideas in a lab book, using tools safely, building complex projects, programming computers and presenting their work. The "Law of the Lab" is strictly enforced.]

Build-It-Yourself staff will be available at all our open houses (see Page1) to discuss the BIY curriculums. For more complete and hands on demonstration of their programming, Build-It-Yourself will be hosting a special open house at their year-round facility (269 Pearl Street, Cambridge MA) on Saturday March 13th, 10am-4pm.

For more information visit www.build-it-yourself.com.


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