Many students look forward to summer as a time to relax and set aside school responsibilities. But for a record 150 upper-middle and high school students from across the Midwest, Big Red Summer Academic Camps offer a chance to experience college life at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
“It’s a readiness program for college-bound youth,” said Greg Fritz, camp director. “There’s an intentional, desired outcome that students find their spark. ‘Spark’ is a 4-H term where something inside of a young person just clicks that makes them want to learn more. I have met incoming students for this fall who are coming to Nebraska because of our math camp.”
Nebraska Extension has hosted Big Red Camps on UNL’s East Campus for decades. When Fritz became director two years ago, the partnership between 4-H and university admissions led to a reimagining of the camps as a college and career readiness experience. While many offerings have evolved over time, the focus has remained the same: help students build independence, explore campus life, make connections and discover potential career paths.
This year, students enrolled in one of nine camps, including Animation, Digital Media, Engineering, Esports, Food Systems, Math & Data Science, Robots & Drones, STEM Odyssey and Unicameral Youth Legislature. Each camp provides hands-on, real-world experience in its field, offering insight into what future education and careers could look like.
After arriving and checking into Massengale Residence Hall, students met roommates and camp counselors and participated in get-to-know-you activities. During the week, they attend classes from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. After dinner, all students gather for recreational activities such as bowling, crafts and s’mores.
While schedules are full, campers are not simply sitting in classrooms. John Hay, a Nebraska Extension educator in biological systems engineering, taught the Robots & Drones camp, where students construct, code and program robots while learning how robotics is used in precision agriculture.
“AI technology is rapidly expanding, and these students are going to have to figure out how and when to use that technology,” Hay said. “One of the things we’re doing this week is some AI programming, having them learn how to use AI as a tool to make coding easier.”
In addition to classroom work, Robots & Drones campers also visited the agricultural robotics lab on East Campus and the engineering department on City Campus so they can see how their interests connect to real-world applications.
“There’s an intentional outcome from this experience, and that is that we have helped position you to dream about your future,” Fritz said.
After participating in the STEM Odyssey camp last year, Oliver, a student from Lincoln, returned this year for the Robots & Drones camp.
“I want to go into forensics, so I’m doing robotics this year for classes for my next school year,” Oliver said.
Cody, a student from Grand Island, is attending the Robots & Drones camp for the third year in a row.
“I like to kind of just learn about the fields,” Cody said. “Last year I did robotics, and then this year I’m doing robotics. I just kind of like doing the hands-on experience and then learning about the career and how people use that in real life.”
Fritz said what surprises him each year is how quickly students bond over shared interests. Within 30 minutes of arriving, Math & Data Science campers had already connected via a group chat app, and each night Unicameral Youth Legislature campers eat dinner together as a group.
“I’m not surprised, but I’m really comforted by the friendships that they’re making,” Fritz said. “My hope is that these kids walk away with a stronger sense of self, a greater understanding of who they are and what they’re interested in, and self-confidence about their futures.”
For more information about Big Red Summer Academic Camps, email bigredcamps@unl.edu.
