WPI Frontiers course questions

[Astronouth7303]

I'm considering courses in the Frontiers program. Specifically, the "Interactive Media & Game Development" area.

Does anyone know what is the focus within that? On the programming side, do they actually talk about the nuts & bolts of the engine and how games work, or do they just relegate it to scripting?

Also, as a 3rd-year programmer, I know a lot. How much would I benefit from the robotics thing? I know team 190 is doing it this year, and I saw the e-mail.

I'm also considering Mechanical engineering and Electrical/Computer Engineering, things I'm clueless in. Help there?

[BradAMiller]

Originally Posted by Astronouth7303

I'm considering courses in the Frontiers program. Specifically, the "Interactive Media & Game Development" area.

Does anyone know what is the focus within that? On the programming side, do they actually talk about the nuts & bolts of the engine and how games work, or do they just relegate it to scripting?

Also, as a 3rd-year programmer, I know a lot. How much would I benefit from the robotics thing? I know team 190 is doing it this year, and I saw the e-mail.

I'm also considering Mechanical engineering and Electrical/Computer Engineering, things I'm clueless in. Help there?

I'm not sure about the other Frontiers programs (and I could find out for you), but I teach the programming part of the robotics program so I could tell you about that.

We develop a number of autonomous robots using either EasyC or another IDE (students choice) using a variety of sensors and a variety of control methods. The sensors are typically rangefinders, line trackers, and light sensors although this year I'd like to open it up a little for students to play with gyros and accelerometers as well as the CMU camera. The code will probably be based on WPILib for the non-EasyC programs. Feel free to contact me directly for more information about the course contents.

In addition to programming the other half of the class is on mechanical engineering principles and machining.

In the 2nd week of the class we will run a competition between students groups in the program. The robots are built during the class and are based on the Vex platform.

[Greg Marra]

Wouldn't it be a little late for this summer's program? I am pretty sure the registration deadline is past.

I went to frontiers last summer, and had a blast. I did the Math course with American History Through Film. The experiences I had and the people I met made it totally worth it. I hope you have an awesome summer!

[ColleenShaver]

Originally Posted by Greg Marra

Wouldn't it be a little late for this summer's program? I am pretty sure the registration deadline is past.

Actually, the deadline has been extended to 31 May, so there is still time! I help Brad & Ken with the Robotics course and it is always tons of fun. Independent of the 'major' you choose, Frontiers is a great time to meet new people and experience two weeks living in a college dorm (eating college food) and a little bit what life is like.

It's a great opportunity and I don't think I've ever heard someone who went to Frontiers not talk about what an awesome experience it was!

Info can be found at WPI Frontiers or just ask!

[Courtney]

Every year there are participants who show up and realize that they would rather take a different course than the one they signed up for. You'll most likely be able to switch courses if you dont like the one you choose, so don't worry too much.

There will be more information at the orientation, but if you have any other questions, feel free to ask me. (I am one of the Program Assistants for Frontiers again this year )

-Courtney

[Chris Marra]

I'm going to Frontiers this summer for the Electrical and Computer Engineering course. I'm really looking forwards to July 9th to get back to WPI only a few weeks after Battlecry.

If there's anyone here who did the ECE program in previous years, please PM me.

[Jaine Perotti]

I participated in the 2004 session of the Frontiers program, doing Robotics. Needless to say, it was one of the greatest summer experiences of my life, and I made a bunch of friends there who I still talk to today (Evan (Nuttyman54) and Lisa Perez, among others). I would highly recommend the robotics program - many of the notes I took there I still have today, and have used frequently when designing mechanisms for robots.

Frontiers will definitely open your eyes and mind, as well as give you a chance to experience college life. I will never forget it, and I am glad I had the chance to be a part of it. I have been to several other engineering camps run by various universities, and WPI's was definitely the best.

If you have any questions about it, feel free to PM me.

-- Jaine

[artdutra04]

I was also at the WPI Frontiers program last year (2005) as an incoming junior in the Robotics class, and I loved it. So much so that I signed up again this year for the Mechanical Engineering class, since that is my favorite part of robotics. Last year I loved using the Vex kits during the course. Although it was not my first time using the Vex kits, I loved the indepth course about the mechanical design and programming of the Vex kits.

Much of what I learned (mechanical and programming) from Frontiers I later applied to my subsequent Vex bots (link, link, link, link), and has proved invaluable. Frontiers is an amazing program, and I would encourage everyone who is passionate about any aspect of their robotics team to consider attending Frontiers during their junior or senior year of high school.