Innovation institute summer camp was a success

"Camp was amazing.," said Franklin based Innovation Institute for Tomorrow (ii4t) founder Tim Heffernan, The had 45 day-campers at their second floor Liberty Street intensive VEX IQ and VEX VS robotics and technology program last week.

​The five-day camp was for elementary and middle school aged kids and primarily run by high school aged leaders under the oversight of the institute.

"I said stop." Miller Hawks was speaking to his robot that didn't quite do what he thought it would based on the coding he completed. Camp leader Andy Costner came over and they went over the code, found the issue and corrected it. Hawks actually found it before Costner did and made the changes and tried again. This time it worked. "Good Boy," Hawks said to his bot that he built. Though he talked to his bot he admits he hasn't named it.

Costner, a North Clarion grad who had great successes in the VEX Robotics programs run through the ii4t organization, said the camp was going really well "The younger kids are eating it up," he said.

They had two sessions each day of the five day camp. Morning was for the younger kids and the afternoon for the middle/high school age kids. Some, like Hawks, stayed to participate in both.

Heffernan said they are working to get the building ready for even more, but they are now running around getting schools and competitions set up all over the region.

​"We’ll be running some workshops this fall and winter for robotics and drones," Heffernan said.  "We are also planning a fall Open House so the community can stop in and see what we are all about." 

He said the institute will have fall hours for kids to come use the facility. They'll figure out that schedule as soon as school gets underway and they gauge the needs.

Heffernan said that the sustainability plan is a priority as well as getting programming in the schools moving ahead as the school year nears. Below are some more photos from the afternoon camp last week.