A SUMMER TO BUILD SOMETHING
AI Foundation Summer Camp
Mr. MauroUC San Diego Extended Studies & Futures instructor
Build AI from the ground up—from Python and machine learning to the digital hardware behind them. Put your skills to work in a hands-on capstone project.
- Python
- Machine learning
- Digital logic
- Neural networks
- Program dates
- July 19–30, 2027Tentative dates
- Learning format
- In-person summer program
- Program cost
- Program cost will be available in December 2026.
Explore the camp: AI Foundation Summer Camp
What you’ll explore
An intensive, two-week introduction to the software and hardware behind AI. Explore Python, data science, machine learning, and digital circuit design, then bring them together in a neural network capstone.
Who it’s for
Students in grade 9 through college with basic Python programming, familiarity with AND, OR, and NOT logic, and Algebra 2 or above. A personal computer is required.
Meet your instructor
Mr. Mauro teaches computer science, machine learning, and digital electronic circuit design with UC San Diego Extended Studies and Futures. Trained in electrical engineering, he spent more than 20 years in hardware, software, and systems design at Qualcomm and founded NexStream Technical Education. He also develops technical learning pathways with CTE and IEEE.
Your learning journey
Build your foundations
Software. Python data structures, functions, object-oriented programming, NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib. Practice exploratory data analysis, the mathematics behind machine learning, and gradient descent.
Hardware. Combinational and sequential logic, digital circuit projects, and FPGA emulation using Basys 3.
Connect software and hardware
Software. Regression, supervised classification, clustering, and neural networks. Implement models and investigate how they learn from data.
Hardware. Hardware description languages (HDL) and a simple neural network capstone that integrates the camp’s programming and digital design concepts.
Skills you’ll practice
- Use Google Colab or Jupyter Notebooks for Python scripts, probability simulations, and statistical inference.
- Organize, analyze, and debug programs using data structures, functions, control flow, and object-oriented design.
- Implement and analyze regression, K-nearest-neighbors classification, and K-means clustering.
- Build an object-oriented deep neural network framework and explore single- and multi-layer perceptrons.
- Take a problem from algorithm design through implementation, unit testing, integration, and final testing.
Your capstone & research paper
Build a neural network capstone that brings software and hardware concepts together, and develop a research paper. Students can continue refining their work with instructor guidance; publication or acceptance is not guaranteed.
Mentoring & course materials
In-person lessons combine programming exercises and digital hardware projects with 20 additional hours of live office hours for personalized mentoring, research guidance, and project support. Review lecture materials and videos in Canvas before assignments, and contact the instructor early if you need help.
Get ready for camp
Bring a personal computer and a personal Gmail account, with authorization if it is parent-created. Basic statistics, vector and matrix mathematics, and derivatives are introduced during the course. The material moves quickly, so plan to keep up with readings and assignments.
Hardware & optional tools
A hardware kit is provided on loan for camp activities and must be returned after the program; students may instead purchase their own. ModelSim and Vivado are optional Windows tools, with installation instructions provided in class.
Optional books by Mr. Mauro
Resources & next steps
Start with the parent inquiry form and select the AI summer program; it may appear as “Berkeley AI Summer Program.” You can also ask about eligibility and sibling or returning-student discounts.
- Application & Python pre-assessment
- Camp FAQ · English
- Camp FAQ · 中文
- Haddee Education reviews
- Camp videos
These supporting resources come from the original camp listing and may refer to earlier sessions. The tentative dates and cost announcement above apply to this offering.
Open parent inquiry form