This year
From our July 2026 workshop
Two days of building, coding, and discovery — talks, hands-on labs, and the Day-2 showcase, July 10–11 at SDSU.
San Diego State University
Registration for the July workshop is now closed — but the games we built are online for everyone.
About
A hands-on, project-based workshop that introduces students to artificial intelligence, scientific computing, and robotics — through live demos, simple labs, and a team project you present on Day 2. Our goal is to make AI and robotics accessible, engaging, and inspiring for students from every background.
Everything is beginner-friendly — bring your curiosity.
Train a real AI model, build a soft robot, run simulations.
Work in a team and present your project at the showcase.
Open to middle, high school, and community-college students.
What you'll explore
The big ideas behind modern AI — with live demos you can try.
Instructional teamA no-code lab: teach a model to recognize images or sounds from your own examples.
Instructional team + TAsHow does ChatGPT actually work? Predict-the-next-word games, image generation & smart prompting.
Prof. Ang Li's research groupCan AI imagine the future? How AI learns the "rules" of the world and predicts what happens next. Open the interactive talk →
Prof. Ang Li's research groupHow computers model the real world — the science behind games, movies, and engineering.
Prof. Qi Wang & SDSU studentsDesign and fabricate a squishy, air-powered robot by hand.
Prof. Yin YuChladni plates, vibration, and why pitch is really just frequency.
Prof. Qi WangPick a project, build it over two days, and present it to everyone.
All instructors & TAsSchedule
Concepts and demos in the mornings; big hands-on building blocks in the afternoons.
| 9:00–9:30 | Welcome, Keynote & Icebreakers (live slides)Qi Wang, Ang Li & Yin Yu |
| 9:30–10:15 | What is AI? — big ideas + live demos (live slides)Instructional team |
| 10:15–10:30 | Break |
| 10:30–12:00 | Hands-on ML Lab: Train Your First AIInstructional team + TAs |
| 12:00–1:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00–2:00 | Generative AI & LLMs: How does ChatGPT work? (live slides)Ang Li's research group |
| 2:00–3:15 | Soft Robotics: intro + hands-on fabricationProf. Yin Yu |
| 3:15–3:30 | Break |
| 3:30–3:50 | Science & Music — Guest talk: a pianist's journeyProf. Sonya Schumann |
| 3:50–4:10 | Science & Music — Guest talk: the surprising link between rhythm & pitchDr. Aaron Demby Jones |
| 4:10–4:30 | Science & Music: the physics of sound (live slides)Prof. Qi Wang |
| 4:30–5:00 | Project Kickoff — pick your team projectAll |
| 9:00–9:45 | Physics Simulation: modeling the real world (live slides)Prof. Qi Wang & SDSU students |
| 9:45–10:30 | AI World Models: Can AI imagine the future? (live slides)Ang Li's research group |
| 10:30–10:45 | Break |
| 10:45–12:00 | Project Build & TestProf. Yin Yu |
| 12:00–1:00 | Lunch |
| 1:00–2:00 | Student Team ShowcaseAll |
| 2:00–2:30 | Q&A, Certificate Awards & Group PhotoAll |
| 2:30→ | Networking |
Team project
On Day 1 you'll form a team and choose a project. You'll build it with help from our TAs and present it at the Day-2 showcase. Pick from:
This year
Two days of building, coding, and discovery — talks, hands-on labs, and the Day-2 showcase, July 10–11 at SDSU.
Who's teaching
Organizer · Dept. of Aerospace Engineering, SDSU. Computational fluid dynamics, scientific machine learning, inverse problems, and physics-based modeling; a strong advocate for combining music education with engineering thinking.
Organizer · Asst. Professor, ECE, University of Maryland. Machine learning and edge computing — efficient, trustworthy AI and large language models.
Organizer · School of Art & Design, SDSU. Soft robotics, wearable technology, and interactive media at the crossroads of art and AI.
Guest speaker · Pianist & piano professor at SDSU; chair of San Diego AmateurPianists. A performer, teacher, and advocate for lifelong music education.
Guest speaker · San Diego pianist, composer & creative technologist (PhD, Media Arts & Technology, UC Santa Barbara). Runs Studio Demby, blending computation, math, and musical improvisation.
"What is AI?" intro, the hands-on ML Lab, and project mentoring.
Teaching Assistant · PhD student, Aerospace Engineering, SDSU. Scientific machine learning, data assimilation of turbulence, and LLM-assisted education.
Teaching Assistant · PhD student, ECE, University of Maryland (Prof. Ang Li's group). Large language models — efficiency & trustworthiness; 2025 Qualcomm Innovation Fellow.
Teaching Assistant · PhD student, ECE, University of Maryland (Prof. Ang Li's group). Efficient/edge LLMs and robotics; helped lead our 2025 workshop.
The details
Educators & SDSU alumni: please share this with students and colleagues who'd enjoy it.
Registration for July 2026 is closed — but you can play the physics, AI & music mini-games we made for the workshop, anytime.
Open the Mini-Games →