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Inspiring Excellence & Forging Futures

Step into the Academy for Women, where innovation meets empowerment. Our unique one-week program shapes the future of technology, focusing on the dynamic contributions of women in the field. Explore C++, project management, teamwork, and the scope of women in tech jobs. Immerse yourself in the vibrant UT campus alongside other high school students, engage with outstanding faculty and current college students. Join us this summer for a tech journey uniquely tailored to inspire and empower.

Academy Tuition: Free

Location: UT Austin Campus

2025 Dates: June 8 - June 14, 2025

Academy Type: Residential, overnight

Eligibility: Students entering 10th-12th grade (Fall 2025)

Prerequisites: All skill levels welcome

Tools: Arduino microcontroller, C++

Credit: Academy certificate

Apply now for the Academy for Women!

Applications are now open. Please submit your application by January 12, 2025 to be considered for the Summer 2025 academies. Late applications will not be accepted.

APPLY NOW!

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Academy for Women students collaborating during Expedia workshop
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LED lights running an Academy for Women student's coded pattern
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Academy for Women student working on their Arduino LED light project

What You'll Explore

Topics Covered

  • C++
  • Project management
  • Teamwork
  • Women in tech jobs

Hands-On Experiences

  • Code an Arduino microcontroller to put on an LED display light show
  • Delve into cool new technologies with professors and industry reps
  • Discover future internship and career opportunities
  • Identify tactics for a standout UT application from UT admissions
  • Explore the UT campus and meet current UT students

 

Academy Experience

Where You'll Learn

This academy takes place on campus at the University of Texas at Austin. Students get a taste of university life by learning in the Gates Dell Complex – the home of UT Computer Science.

Where You'll Stay & Eat

You will stay in student residence halls on campus where you’ll be matched with another student by age as your roommate. You can look forward to trying out college residence hall food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, which is included.

How You'll Be Supported

Our mentors help you get accustomed to learning on a college campus by staying in the same residence halls and accompanying you throughout your stay. Our academies boast an impressive 10:1 student to mentor ratio to make sure students are getting the most out of their time on campus.

Meet Your Academy Staff

Dr. Alison Norman
Associate Professor of Instruction
Department of Computer Science

Dr. Alison Norman received both her M.S. in computer science and her Ph.D. in computer science from this department. Since then, she has been fortunate enough to spend her days teaching systems to undergraduates and performing outreach to underserved communities. Her research interests lie in the intersection of supercomputing and program analysis with a special interest in static techniques to improve checkpointing. She is also interested in large-scale simulation.

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Allison Grindle

Allison Grindle
Academy Director
Department of Computer Science

Allison manages the UT Computer Science Summer Academies, introducing high school students from diverse backgrounds to programming. She holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MA from King’s College London. With extensive experience in managing special programs at UT Austin and leading community outreach across Texas, she leverages her project coordination skills to create impactful learning experiences for participants.

Travel Scholarships

Travel scholarships are available to help those with financial need cover transportation to and from Austin. The travel scholarship application will be available to students after admission to the academy.

Frequently Asked Questions:

The Academy for Women and Academy for All are hosted by the Department of Computer Science at The University of Texas at Austin in the Gates-Dell Complex.

Students entering grades 10-12 in Fall 2024 are eligible to apply.

Students are encouraged to apply to both Academy for Women and Academy for All sessions, if applicable. Please note that students will only be admitted to one session. If you apply to multiple sessions, you may list your preferences in the application.

No programming experience? No problem! Our labs are designed to teach you to program or expand your programming skills to accomplish the project.

Students must provide their contact information, academic records, a brief essay, their most recent progress report, and an unofficial transcript.

Join us as we use the Arduino microcontroller to program LED light displays - you will work with a small group of peers to make your lights put on a show or dance to music. Students in the Academy for All Machine Learning Edition will learn how to understand and implement machine learning concepts.

Outside of lab time, students will attend guest speaker presentations, tour UT facilities, and join various social activities. A field trip to a local tech company to meet corporate representatives and learn about their experience in CS may also be included in the weekly schedule.

All UT Computer Science Summer Academies are led by UT Austin Computer Science faculty members. More information on each faculty member can be found in the Academy Staff section.

There is no cost to participate in Academy for Women or Academy for All. Housing and meals for the week-long program are also included. Students may apply for travel scholarships for up to $500 to help pay for transportation to and from Austin if needed.

Students will stay in one of the residence halls on the UT Austin campus. To learn more about the UT Austin residence halls, visit: housing.utexas.edu/housing/residence-halls. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are provided for the academy participants. Students will eat at one of the main dining halls on campus. Top 9 allergen-free meals are available. For more information on dining, visit: housing.utexas.edu/dining/dining-locations/dining-halls.

Each student will be assigned to a residence hall room with a roommate. Rooms are shared with another student of the same gender and all residence hall floors are split by gender. Each floor has counselors of the same gender as students on that floor. Please contact us with any specific questions.

Please email our team at academies@cs.utexas.edu and we will direct you to our Academy Accommodations Coordinator. Please be as specific as possible in your message so we can best assist you.

Academy participants are supervised at all times. Each participant will be placed into a group of around 10 students and will be supervised by a counselor 24 hours a day. Our daytime counselors, Program Assistants, provide supervision and help students in the computer lab and during programming activities. Our evening counselors, Resident Assistants, provide supervision and engage students in social activities and stay in the dorms overnight.

Typically, students have breakfast around 7:30 in the morning and begin their first activity at 8:30 am. From 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, students are either in the computer lab working on their group projects, taking a break for lunch, attending a guest lecture, or touring different departments on campus. After dinner, students will participate in various social activities including bowling, movie night, basketball, volleyball and more. All academy participants return back to their residence hall each night by 9:30 pm.

Stay Connected for Future Opportunities!

Discover transformative summer academies with us. While the application deadline for this year has passed, be the first to know about upcoming programs and exciting opportunities.

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