Capstone Projects
Penguin Coding believes in the application of knowledge over rote memorization. We want to help students convert their interest and skills into a meaningful deliverable at the end of their coding education journey. This capstone program provides the structure, mentorship, objective and a hard deadline to motivate students to stretch themselves intellectually.
For girls, we offer mentorship & coaching for Technovation for Girls, a global program with a curriculum for beginner to advanced students who form a team to create a web/mobile application that tackles a local or global community issue (e.g. relaxation app for middle schoolers, an app to increase participation of girls in STEM). This is available from January-April.
Other students of all ages can join our 1-1 mentoring program where we match the student with one of our teacher/mentors and they will schedule a series of 8-16 weekly meetings over a few months to map out a comprehensive background research on the topic of the student's interest with the goal of having a draft of an application for a major research or science competition.
Lexington, MA
Newton, MA
Acton, MA
Brookline, MA
Capstone Coding Project for High Schoolers:
For students who enroll in this capstone program, Penguin Coding will match the student with one of our teacher/mentors and they will schedule a series of 8 weekly virtual meetings through the semester to map out a plan for them to code an application with the goal of having a working copy of an application by the end.
What will be covered in the weekly sessions?
Session 1: Brainstorm and map out a roadmap for building the application. Build a user flow diagram of how the app will work.
Session 2: Map out the components needed for the app.
Session 3: Start building the easiest components.Session 4: Check progress and revise features or completion estimation.
Session 5+: (length of time depends on project) Weekly check-in on progress with building the proto-type. Can be anywhere from 1 to 6 month project.
Session 8: Have a demonstrable proto-type for the application. (Depending on the application, it may rollover into another semester)What is the time commitment?
Weekly 1 hour meeting and an expectation of 1-2 hours of work in between each session that the student completes on their own.The "app" can be a web application, a Python project, a Pygame, or a mobile app built in iOS. Must be something that the student has prior experience. Otherwise there will need to be lessons on how to code.
What is the time commitment?
Weekly 1 hour meeting and an expectation of 2-3 hours of work in between each session that the student completes on their own.
The proposal can be honed through subsequent semesters to make for a competitive application.
Applications for this Program:
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Started in 2015, this challenge is presented by Congress every year to middle and high schoolers across the United States. These district-wide Congressional App Challenges for middle school and high school students are aimed at encouraging students to learn to code and inspiring them to pursue careers in computer science. These are generally presented in October with deadlines in early November.
For more information visit: https://www.congressionalappchallenge.us/
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We continue our long-standing tradition of supporting students who love to code with this year’s exciting Swift Student Challenge. Showcase your passion for coding by creating an incredible Swift playground on the topic of your choice. Winners will receive exclusive WWDC21 outerwear, a customized pin set, and one year of membership in the Apple Developer Program. This challenge is open to students around the world. Find out more at: https://developer.apple.com/wwdc21/swift-student-challenge/
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Each year Samsung hosts a $2 million national competition for public schools grades 6–12 in which students are asked to consider how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can be used to create change in their communities. With the help of their teachers, students can apply to the contest and compete to win up to $100,000 in prizes for their school, plus the opportunity to work with Samsung employees to develop their prototypes.
To find out more, check out: https://www.samsung.com/us/solvefortomorrow/
Capstone STEM/Computer Science Research for High Schoolers
Session 1-2: Review past winning projects and identify student interest. Brainstorm/mind map to identify associations between concepts.
Session 3: Form preliminary research questions - learn how to start with simple questions and build complexity with series of whys.
Session 4: Finalize the research question and outline all the background research done so far.
Session 5+ (length of time depends on proto-type) : Build a proto-type of experiment or model. Can be anywhere from 1 to 6 month project.
What is the time commitment?
Weekly 1 hour meeting and an expectation of 2-3 hours of work in between each session that the student completes on their own.
Deliverable at the end will be a proposal with thorough background research and proto-type of experiment/model that demonstrates feasibility.
The proposal can then be honed through subsequent semesters to make for a competitive application.
Applications:
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Rather than requiring students to have completed a research project before applying, THINK caters to students who have done extensive research on the background of a potential research project and are looking for additional guidance in the early stages of their project. The program is organized by a group of undergraduates at MIT.
Selected finalists have weekly mentorship meetings with THINK team members for technical guidance, helpful resources, and updates on the projects progress and are given up to $1,000 in funding for their project. Additionally, if permitting, finalists are invited to a four-day all-expenses paid trip to MIT's campus, where they tour labs, present their research to MIT students and faculty, and hang out with members of the THINK team.
https://think.mit.edu/
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Application Deadline: March 1, 2022
Program Dates: One week in July 2022
CURIE Academy is a one-week program for high school girls who excel in math and science. The focus is on rising juniors and seniors who may not have had prior opportunities to explore engineering, but want to learn more about it in an interactive atmosphere. This summer connect with Cornell University and explore the many possibilities awaiting you in engineering. Find out more about the program: https://sites.coecis.cornell.edu/curieacademy/
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The Generation Google Scholarship was established to help aspiring computer scientists excel in technology and become leaders in the field. Selected students will receive 10,000 USD (for those studying in the US) or 5,000 CAD (for those studying in Canada). As part of the scholarship, current high school seniors who are entering their first year of university will be required to attend Google’s Computer Science Summer Institute (CSSI) in the summer. Current undergraduate or graduate students will be invited to attend the Google Scholars’ Retreat.
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Innovate with passion and bring your idea to life in the Imagine Cup. Collaborate with other students and build your skills together to solve global issues.
https://imaginecup.microsoft.com/en-us
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Each summer, 80 of the world's most accomplished high school students gather at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the Research Science Institute (RSI). RSI is the first cost-free to students, summer science & engineering program to combine on-campus course work in scientific theory with off-campus work in science and technology research.
Participants experience the entire research cycle from start to finish. They read the most current literature in their field, draft and execute a detailed research plan, and deliver conference-style oral and written reports on their findings.
For more information on the program and how to apply visit https://www.cee.org/programs/research-science-institute