Summer Academy: creating new realities in life and computing

Patty Liang and Katie Roberts



Richard Ladner and his students

Ever wonder if you could try out a dream career for a summer? 

 

 

 

Several students those past five years have had a chance to learn, interact and experience this program, Advancing Deaf & Hard of Hearing in Computing.  This 9 week program coordinated by Rob Roth and a joint project of DO-IT and the Department of CSE along with Professor Richard Ladner.  The students networked with academy alumni and experts from various computer science fields where they shared their personal experiences and advice on how they can pursue their careers if they continue in that path. It is amazing the support we've received from local companies such as Google and Oracle. They've also received grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, the National Science Foundation (NSF), Johnson Scholarship Foundation and other donors.   Students' education expenses: tuition, airfare, transportation, and housing were covered by those funds!

Electrical Engineering Building, University of Washington.

 Those students come from faraway places, where they often are the only deaf persons in their schools, or at the top of their classes.  They have no deaf peers of their own and struggle to visualize where their future would lead.  This program is a terrific opportunity for those kids, and parents do seem to appreciate what it does for their kids.

 

Access Computing held a community premiere at the end of 9 week program to spotlight the work of their students. Madison Bates the Animation Instructor shared with us three shorts created by the students.  Normally, it takes least 5 years to make a long feature animated film.  In three weeks, students created a short film using this software. But to make To make a great film, you need a terrific plot or story to propel the film through, characters to give it depth, and teamwork to make this film happen. This short from 2011 makes good use of the narrative arc, and the different angles used add to the storytelling.

The crux of filmmaking for students is to learn how to present a story that will resonate with the viewers through animation. , "Reycled Tail” is about recycling, while “Dirt Jerry” reminds us that practice makes perfect and persistence will triumph.  “Castaway” is an inspired version of the film.  While the films are not yet online, you can persue films showed last year.

Best of luck to the UW students who visited that summer – come back to the hospitality of Seattle someday! We look forward to seeing how you will contribute in your chosen field.