summer Camps
community Arts Academy
Mini Makers Art Camp for Grades PreK - 2
Make Your Own Masterpiece
June 2 – 6, 2025 | 9 – 11 a.m. | $125
Meet in Visual Arts Building, Room 210
This camp has sold out! Email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.
Budding artists join Bunche Montessori and Forest Park Elementary art teacher Stephanie Bellinger to engage in process art-making activities —get messy drawing, sculpting and painting masterpieces. When not creating, campers will be outdoors exploring! Campers bring lunch and snack each day.
Mini Makers Art Camp for Grades PreK - 2
Clay Textures
June 2 – 6, 2025 | 1 – 3 p.m. | $125
Meet in Visual Arts Building, Room 210
This camp has sold out! Email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.
This is a two-hour, week-long art camp designed for creative young artists with inclinations toward three-dimensional artwork using natural clay, ceramics, and modeling, as well as exploration, nature, and curiosity. Young artists will create ceramic pieces with botanicals found in nature, such as pods, seeds, flowers, and hardy leaves pressed onto the clay body. They will use these botanicals to create patterns, shapes, or stories on slabs of clay. Participants will create up to two three-dimensional objects or functional pieces using natural clay that will be fired into ceramic pieces. Campers bring lunch and snack each day.
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Puppets & Papier Maché for Grades 2 – 5
June 9 – 13, 2025 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | $225
Meet in Visual Arts Building, Room 210
This camp has sold out! Email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.
Puppets come alive from straws, paper, brads, and papier maché in this week long studio camp. Join Bonnie Bloom, art teacher at Price Elementary, and Grace Webster, art teacher at Ossian Elementary, for an exciting five-day journey of creativity and self-expression. This summer, step away from screens and dive into hands-on art adventures in our inspiring studios. Let’s turn imaginative ideas into vibrant works of art together!
Adventures in Printmaking for Grades 2 – 5
June 16–20, 2025 | 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | $250
Meet in Visual Arts Building, Room 210
Register now!
Explore a plethora of printmaking processes all week—from fruit to styrofoam and gelli plates—we'll discover the unique aspects of each. Join Bonnie Bloom, art teacher at Price Elementary, and Grace Webster, art teacher at Ossian Elementary, for an exciting five-day journey of creativity and self-expression. This summer, step away from screens and dive into hands-on art adventures in our inspiring studios. Let’s turn imaginative ideas into vibrant works of art together!
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Registration is a two-step process:
1. Pay for class. 2. Register student with Purdue's Minor Protection Portal.
If you or your child needs accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Molly Papier, [email protected], at least 2 weeks prior to activity to ensure accommodations can be provided.
Mommy & Me Wood Bench Workshop for All Ages
Tuesdays, June 3 & 10, 2025 | 6 – 8 p.m. | $125 for two
Meet in Visual Arts Building, Room 209
Step away from screens and into the joy of creating something meaningful with your family. Under expert guidance of woodworker Hilary Hontz, you and your loved one will craft a beautiful wooden bench—a keepsake that will hold plants or knicknacks but also cherished memories. This hands-on experience is perfect for all skill levels, making it a fun and rewarding way to spend quality time together.
Dr. Hamilton Tescarollo, founder and director
June 8-13, 2025 for Grades 8 – 12 as of spring 2025.
The Gene Marcus Piano Camp and Festival has both a commuter and residential option. Learn more.
Indiana Clarinet Experience
Grades 8 – 12 (as of spring 2025)
June 2-7, 2025 | $650 residential | $550 commuter
Register now!
The Indiana Clarinet Experience (ICE) is a six-day overnight summer program for clarinetists to have a fun musical experience with a dedicated faculty of young, energetic professionals. The camp takes place in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Purdue University Fort Wayne School of Music in the Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center where students spend the week on campus with fellow participants. Housing is provided in Purdue Fort Wayne's campus housing and students will be supervised at all times. Lunch and dinner are provided; campers will provide their own breakfast items that can be stored and served in their student apartment kitchens.
For more information, contact Kylie Stultz-Dessent at [email protected].
What to Expect at ICE
Improve at the clarinet.
There will be lots of information presented to help you excel at the clarinet, and plenty of time to practice so that you master all of these new concepts.
Meet new friends.
ICE attracts students from all over Indiana and beyond. Many friendships are formed throughout the week. Group activities outside of class time will encourage making new friendships that last.
Play cool music.
No one wants to play cool music more than the faculty do. Many of them bring their own arrangements and compositions to spice up the repertoire for the small and large ensemble concerts.
Play cool instruments.
This is your chance to learn more about the clarinet instrument family. You can play E-flat clarinet, alto clarinet, bass clarinet, and contra bass clarinet. The end of the camp includes a clarinet choir concert, where people will play all kinds of strange clarinets, big and small.
Play cool music for other people.
Part of the camp experience includes performing a final concert at PFW School of Music. Playing music for ourselves is fun, but playing for other people is even more satisfying.
Work with an energetic and passionate faculty.
Students will have the opportunity to work in a small setting with a dedicated faculty of professional clarinetists and teachers. Additionally, students will hear performances by innovative clarinetists in the professional field.
A summer to remember.
It’s only a week, but the memories will last much longer. Many of our participants look forward to returning each summer to meet friends from around the state and beyond.
Tentative Camp Schedule
9–10 a.m. Group Warm Up and Fundamentals
10–11 a.m. Clarinet Grab-Bag: Special Activity
11 a.m.– noon Private Lessons/Individual Practice
Noon–1:30 p.m. Lunch Break and Outdoor Activity
1:30–2:30 p.m. Chamber Music Rehearsals
2:30–3:30 p.m. Large Group Masterclass
3:30–5 p.m. Clarinet Choir Rehearsal
6–7 p.m. Dinner
7–8:30 p.m. Group Activity
Testimonials
“I don’t think I really knew what to expect when I walked in the door on the first day, but I knew when I walked out on the first day that I couldn’t wait to come back the next. Everyone there—students and instructors—are so supportive. They just want you to thrive and to see you grow as a clarinet player. I can't wait to hopefully return this year!” – Brittany D.
“ICE taught me more than I could have imagined in just one week. It also allowed me to bond with many new people over a common love of the clarinet. Every single aspect of it was great, and I would definitely participate again!” – Will Z.
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Registration is a two-step process:
1. Pay for class. 2. Register student with Purdue's Minor Protection Portal.
If you or your child needs accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Molly Papier, [email protected], at least 2 weeks prior to activity to ensure accommodations can be provided.
This program was made possible, in part, through the support of Associated Chamber Music Players. The mission of ACMP is to stimulate and expand the playing of chamber music for pleasure among musicians worldwide, of all backgrounds, ages and skill levels, by connecting people and supporting chamber music activities for individuals, groups and institutions. Join ACMP - Membership is FREE!
Instructors
Kylie Stultz-Dessent, Director
Kylie Stultz-Dessent is a versatile artist with a varied career as educator, soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral performer. She is currently serving as visiting instructor of clarinet and music theory at Purdue University Fort Wayne in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Kylie has performed with numerous regional orchestras and is a member of The Novacane Quartet, an award winning clarinet quartet. She holds degrees from Indiana University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. Kylie co-founded the Indiana Clarinet Experience (ICE) in 2014.
Erik Franklin, Director
Clarinetist Erik Franklin has given hundreds of concerts in nearly all fifty states, performing concerts in venues from veterans’ homes to Carnegie Hall. A former member of the U.S. Army Field Band, Mr. Franklin balances his time teaching at Towson University, performing with his award-winning chamber groups, and directing the Indiana Clarinet Experience. Mr. Franklin is a resident of Baltimore, MD, and holds degrees from Indiana University and Furman University.
Chris Dessent, Instructor
Chris Dessent is a music educator, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He is currently a Director of Bands at Fishers High School in Fishers, Indiana. A versatile composer and arranger, Chris has several newly published works of varying levels and styles. His primary instrument is the clarinet, and he thoroughly enjoys being a part of the Indiana Clarinet Experience as a staff member.
Music Technology Camp for Grades 9–12
Monday, July 14 – Thursday, July 17, 2025
9 a.m. – 4 p.m. | $250
Sweetwater + PFW Music Building, 5501 U.S. Hwy 30 W, Fort Wayne, IN 46818
Register now!
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Learn about music production in this behind-the-scenes camp! Students will work with industry professionals, learn about careers in music and experiment with the latest recording software such as Pro Tools, Logic, and Ableton. Camps take place in PFW's facility on the campus of Sweetwater Sound. Campers bring lunch Monday-Wednesday. Thursday, take a tour of Sweetwater and have lunch in the cafeteria.
Registration is a two-step process:
1. Pay for class. 2. Register student with Purdue's Minor Protection Portal.
If you or your child needs accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Molly Papier, [email protected], at least 2 weeks prior to activity to ensure accommodations can be provided.
Summer Theatre Masters for Grades 8–12
Meet at Kettler Hall, Door 7, Room G32.
Register now!
Gain confidence in your acting abilities and character and scene development. Master audition techniques and exercises using industry-standard practices.
NEW! Creative Theatrical Makeup Workshop - Add on to Summer Theatre Masters
Wednesday, June 18 | 1 - 2 p.m. | $25
Kettler Hall, Room G29
Designed to spark your child's imagination while learning the fundamentals of professional makeup artistry! In this exciting course, students will explore the world of traditional theatrical makeup products and techniques, all while developing their creative thinking.
*Bring a lunch this day—camper will go from drama class to make up workshop.
Register now!
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Summer Youth Drama for Grades 4–8
June 23–27, 2025 | 10:45 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | $89
Meet at Kettler Hall, Door 7, Room G32.
Register now!
Learn theatre essentials and how to work together with your fellow actors on a real stage.
Class will culminate in a live performance.
NEW! Creative Theatrical Makeup Workshop - Add on to Summer Youth Drama
Wednesday, June 25 | 12:45 - 1:45 p.m. | $25
Kettler Hall, Room G29
Designed to spark your child's imagination while learning the fundamentals of professional makeup artistry! In this exciting course, students will explore the world of traditional theatrical makeup products and techniques, all while developing their creative thinking.
*Bring a lunch this day—camper will go from drama class to make up workshop.
Register now!
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Summer Dramagination for Grades K–3
June 23–27, 2025 | 9:45–10:45 a.m. | $79
Meet at Kettler Hall, Door 7, Room G32.
Register now!
Learn theatre basics on a real stage! Students will use their imagination to create, act out, and direct stories. Class will culminate in a live performance.
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Individualized Audition Preparation
Theatre veterans Gloria Minnich and Kate Black will fine tune your techniques ensuring you get the part. Contact instructors for times and rates.
Learn more!
Registration is a two-step process:
1. Pay for class. 2. Register student with Purdue's Minor Protection Portal.
If you or your child needs accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Molly Papier, [email protected], at least 2 weeks prior to activity to ensure accommodations can be provided.
30th Annual Summer String Camp for Grades K – 12
June 23–27, 2025 | 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m. | $325
Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center
Register now!
Run by Fort Wayne Philharmonic musician Marcy Trentacosti, this camp features string orchestra, chamber ensembles and group classes for violin, viola, cello, and bass. Students are coached by Philharmonic musicians and must have a minimum of two years of string instruction to take part in this camp. Learn new music in a week of string orchestra, group classes and chamber music playing. Culminating recital on Friday at 1 p.m. Campers bring lunch and a snack Monday - Thursday. Friday we rehearse for recital and have pizza lunch.
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Twinklers Camp for New Players for Grades K-6
June 23–27, 2025 | 9 a.m.– 12 p.m. | $125
Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center
Register now!
If your child has just begun playing violin within the last 6-12 months, come and join us for our Twinklers class. This class is designed to offer a week of group class instruction for beginning students. The focus will be on bow hold, violin hold, left hand flexibility, and rhythm and movement in a group setting.
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Summer String Chamber Music Academy for Grades 9 – 12
July 14–18, 2025 | 6–9 p.m. | $275
Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center
Register now!
Led by the esteemed Marcy Trentacosti, give your high school string player more exposure to chamber music experiences. Students are thoughtfully placed into small ensembles like string quartets, trios, or duos, where they’ll explore a variety of repertoire, learn to listen to others, work as a team, and take responsibility for their performance within a group. The academy culminates in unique performance opportunities that allow participants to share their music with the community.
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Debutant's Bluegrass Hoot Camp 2025
July 28–August 1, 2025 | 9 a.m.–2 p.m. | $275
Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center
Spend a week learning and jamming with Indiana’s hottest newgrass string collective, Debutants! From festivals across the country to Fort Wayne’s very own Clyde Theater, Debutants have dazzled audiences with their innovative arrangements and high energy live shows!
Designed for students in grades 4-12, this week-long camp will explore ear training and improvisation in an acoustic string band setting. Students can register for violin/fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass, cello, or viola. Students will spend each day learning from the touring performers and licensed educators that make up Debutants. Students will engage with each other to learn new skills and collaborate in an intensive and hands-on musical experience.
To wrap up the week, Hoot Camp students are invited to join the Debutants onstage for a performance in PFW’s Auer Concert Hall in collaboration with PBS 39’s Summit City Music Series. Food trucks will be on site Friday evening. Campers will bring a sack lunch and drink to class each day.
Register now!
Registration is a two-step process:
1. Pay for class. 2. Register student with Purdue's Minor Protection Portal.
If you or your child needs accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Molly Papier, [email protected], at least 2 weeks prior to activity to ensure accommodations can be provided.
Meet the Director | Marcella Trentacosti
Marcy Trentacosti is the director for the CAA Summer String Camp and has been a full-time section violinist in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic since 1976. Marcy also is the conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Youth Concert Orchestra. She graduated from Indiana University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Music Education and in August 2008 received her MM in violin performance from Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio. Marcy participated in the Rome Festival Orchestra in Rome, Italy; Chicago Civic Orchestra; Bach, Beethoven, Breckenridge Music Festival and was concertmaster of the Marion Philharmonic. She taught orchestra at Snider High School, Woodside Middle School, Canterbury School and Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Marcy maintains a private teaching studio and teaches for the Purdue University Fort Wayne Community Arts Academy.
If you have questions, please contact Marcy at 260-432-3218
Meet the Camp Faculty
Emelinda Acosta– Violin
Emelinda completed her Bachelor’s degree in Violin Performance from the University of Illinois in 2012, studying with The Pacifica Quartet and Sibbi Bernhardsson, and her Master’s degree in Music Performance from Northwestern University in 2014, studying under Gerardo Ribeiro. During her school studies, Emelinda participated in the Green Mountain Music Festival, Meadowmount School of Music, Triada Music Festival, Camp Musical des Laurentides in Canada and the Harpa International Music Academy in Iceland.
In 2014, Emelinda won the Concertmaster chair of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, launching her career as a violinist in the Chicago area. Her many accomplishments include performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, multiple performances at Carnegie Hall, radio performances in Chicago with YoYo Ma, and many other orchestras and chamber ensembles such as the Chicago Philharmonic, Elgin Symphony Orchestra, Quad Cities Symphony, Springfield Symphony, Chicago Opera Theater, Zafa Collective, Rockford Symphony, Peoria Symphony, Heartland Festival Orchestra, Southwest Indiana Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, and Carmel Symphony. She has made guest soloist appearances with Trinity University Orchestra, the South Loop Orchestra, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago performing such works as the Sibelius violin concerto, Sarasate’s Zigeunerweisen, and the Brandenburg Concertos.
An accomplished professional chamber player, Emelinda has been a member of Zafa Collective, and Lieta Chamber Players, as well as a member of the touring Quasari String Quartet in her undergraduate studies, studying under the Pacifica Quartet. Her many accomplishments in chamber music include director of the string quartet program at Illinois Summer Youth Music, a chamber coach for Elgin Chamber Academy, faculty at Chamber Music Weekend Tennessee, Meadowmount School of Music, and is currently faculty at Purdue's Summer String Camp and Summer String Chamber Music Academy, as well as faculty at Harpa International Music Academy and director of Lieta Chamber Players.
Emelinda has acted as teaching faculty at music festivals such as the Meadowmount School of Music, Illinois Summer Youth Music and the Elgin Chamber Academy and has been on the teaching artist faculty of the Glenbrook North and South High Schools in the Chicago area. Many of her students have won regional competitions, are often placed 1st chair in their respective youth orchestras, and continue to play music professionally as part of their career. In 2020 she founded Lieta Music, a chamber music performance and music education initiative that brings string quartet performances and masterclasses to neighborhoods, meeting places, restaurants, and schools in her community.
Emelinda maintains a private studio of violin and piano students in the Fort Wayne area, is director of the St. Vincent de Paul school private strings program, currently on the teaching faculty for Harpa International Music Academy music festival and is proud to be a member in the Fort Wayne Philharmonic.
Lauren Tourkow Blair– Violin
Lauren Is a graduate of Homestead High School. She earned her Bachelor of Music degree from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. She is the Orchestra teacher at Fort Wayne Community Schools’ Miami Middle School. As a violinist she subs with the Fort Wayne Philharmonic and is also a member of the band The Debutants which performs locally and throughout northeast Indiana. She has taught for the Summer String Camp for the past 5 years and she loves working with the students of all levels.
Dr. Kevin McMahon – Violin
Dr. McMahon is Orchestra Director, Music Composition, and Violin/Conducting teacher at Purdue Fort Wayne School of Music. He holds two diplomas in violin performance, a Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Art in Orchestra and Opera Conducting from the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Patricia Burton – Cello
Patricia is a doctoral student in cello performance at Ball State University. She earned bachelors in cello performance and music education from Northern Arizona University in 2018 and masters in cello performance and music education from Ball State University in 2022. She has taught elementary strings and coached cello sections at middle/high schools in Arizona and Indiana. In addition, she teaches private cello and bass lessons, and performs solo, chamber, and ensemble repertoire in Arizona and Indiana.
Debutants' Newgrass Hoot Camp 2025 for Grades 4–12
July 28–August 1, 2025 | 9 a.m.–2 p.m. | $275
Purdue Fort Wayne Music Center
Register now!
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Spend a week learning and jamming with Indiana’s hottest newgrass string collective, Debutants! From festivals across the country to Fort Wayne’s very own Clyde Theater, Debutants have dazzled audiences with their innovative arrangements and high energy live shows!
Designed for students in grades 4-12, this week-long camp will explore ear training and improvisation in an acoustic string band setting. Students can register for violin/fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, upright bass, cello, or viola. Students will spend each day learning from the touring performers and licensed educators that make up Debutants. Students will engage with each other to learn new skills and collaborate in an intensive and hands-on musical experience.
To wrap up the week, Hoot Camp students are invited to join the Debutants onstage for a performance in PFW’s Auer Concert Hall in collaboration with PBS 39’s Summit City Music Series. Food trucks will be on site Friday evening. Campers will bring a sack lunch and drink to class each day.
Mission Statement: Debutants aims to inspire and educate young musicians through the teaching and performance of traditional music. By focusing on traditional music, we hope to engender cross-cultural collaboration, encourage self-expression and musicality, and create a sense of fun and collaborative play among our students.
Registration is a two-step process: 1. Pay for class. 2. Register student with Purdue's Minor Protection Portal.
If you or your child needs accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Molly Papier, [email protected], at least 2 weeks prior to activity to ensure accommodations can be provided.
Meet Your Instructors
About The Debutants—Formed by longtime friends, Lynn Nicholson and Jon Swain, Debutants have evolved into a formidable string band with eclectic influences ranging from traditional folk, bluegrass, and Irish music, to classic and indie rock, rockabilly, jam bands, and anything else they feel like playing. Regardless of genre, what always manages to come through loud and clear, whether in-studio or on stage, is the amount of fun they’re having playing together, and the vibrant life breathed into their music. Nicholson and Swain share the role of lead singer/songwriter for the group, with much collaboration in each song’s development. Since 2021 they have recorded several albums with recording engineer and producer Tyler Thompson (Fruition, TK & The Holy Know-Nothings, Jay Cobb Anderson) at his Studio 110 in Pittsburgh, PA. Since their 2021 debut release, Indiana Newgrass – EP, Debutants performs and tours as the seven member string collective lead by mandolin/vocalist Lynn Nicholson and guitar/vocalist Jon Swain with banjoist Michael Earl Newsome, fiddle player Sean Hoffman (Goldmine Pickers, The Goat’s Beards, Soltré), bassist/vocalist Colin Taylor (Uncle Muscle, Hillbilly Casino) violinist/vocalist Lauren Blair (Fort Wayne Philharmonic) and cellist/vocalist Ellen Coplin (Soltre, Bobcat Opossum).
Meet the Directors
Ellen Coplin crawled over to the piano as a toddler and hasn’t been able to shake the music habit since! She grew up in Northwest Ohio playing piano and cello and graduated from Taylor University with a bachelors in music composition and Indiana Wesleyan with a graduate certificate in teaching. She is an accomplished performer and experienced teacher across many instruments including piano, cello, guitar. She enjoys working with students of all ages, from the FWCS and Club Orchestra classrooms to string camps such as Red Wing Academy and the Linda Leubke Strings Festival. She plays cello with newgrass band Debutants and Irish band Soltre.
Sean Hoffman has been teaching and playing fiddle for many years. He grew up playing bluegrass with his family in Indiana and began studying Irish music with New York-based fiddler Brian Conway. He plays with multiple bands including Debutants, Bobcat Opossum, and Soltre.
Sean founded and runs the Fairfield Falcon Fiddle Club, an after-school program for 4th and 5th graders in Fort Wayne, IN that has been running for the last 10 years. He has also been on staff (2019 and 2020) at the Earful of Fiddle Music and Dance Camp in Rodney, MI and the Redwing Academy (2017-Present), and was the 2023 and 2024 Guest Artist at the Linda Luebke Strings Festival in Terre Haute, IN. He is also the grant recipient of the Indiana Arts Commission’s Indiviual Artist Grant (2007) and Arts Project Support Grant (2024).
Sean runs the Fairfield Falcon Fiddle Club, an after-school program for 4th and 5th graders in Fort Wayne, IN. He has also been on staff (2019 and 2020) at the Earful of Fiddle Music and Dance Camp in Rodney, MI and the Redwing Academy (2017-Present), and was the 2023 Guest Artist at the Linda Luebke Strings Festival in Terre Haute, IN.
If you have questions, please contact Ellen or Sean at [email protected].
Virtual Reality Camp for Grades 6–8
Week 1: July 14–18, 2025 | 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. | $225
Week 2: July 21–25, 2025 | 9 a.m.– 4 p.m. | $225
Meet in Visual Arts Building, Room 211
Register now for week 1
Register now for week 2
Please register your camper using their fall 2025–26 grade level.
Virtual Reality Camp is the perfect opportunity for curious minds to explore cutting-edge technology in a fun and educational environment! Campers will learn how to develop their own game prototypes and gain hands-on experience with the process of publishing games on platforms like Meta, Steam, and Apple. They will also be introduced to the latest advancements in immersive interactive technology.
Throughout the camp, participants will experience the dynamic and collaborative nature of multiplayer gaming. By creating and experimenting with the latest VR tools, students will not only develop technical skills but also gain insight into potential academic paths in game design, digital arts, and advanced visualization—fields essential for future architects and engineers.
Campers are encouraged to bring their own VR headsets (Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3, or Meta Quest 3S). Upon enrollment, they will receive instructions on enabling ‘developer mode’ on their devices. If a camper does not own a headset, one will be provided. Additionally, all participants should bring a flash drive with at least 10 GB of storage.
By the end of camp, each participant will take home their game prototype, saved on a flash drive, and have their stand-alone VR/MR prototype sideloaded onto their headset for full playability. The camp will conclude with a VR showcase where campers present their projects to family members.
Lunch: Bring your own lunch Monday–Thursday. A pizza lunch will be provided on Friday.
Registration is a two-step process: 1. Pay for class. 2. Register student with Purdue's Minor Protection Portal.
If you or your child needs accommodations to participate in this program, please contact Molly Papier, [email protected], at least 2 weeks prior to activity to ensure accommodations can be provided.
About the Director
Andres Montenegro is an associate professor of art and design. His work develops immersive environments using real time 3D animations while integrating physical computing in installations based on interactive responses and multichannel projections. He has an extensive experience with software and hardware oriented toward the generation of different styles of rendered images using painting as the main source of research.
His teaching experience covers a span of more than 25 years. First teaching in the public education system in Chile from 1987 to 1995, he has been assistant professor at University of Playa Ancha, from 1996 to 2003, developing creative 3D animation, multimedia and experimental web projects through special interfaces. He also has taught at the University of Wisconsin--Whitewater as an assistant professor of multimedia, 3D modeling and animation from 2007 to 2009. In 2008, he taught Interactive installations, 3D modeling, and animation for artists and designers at Einar Granum School in Oslo, Norway. He has taught advanced media in Visual Communication at Madison Area College of Madison, Wisconsin in 2010. His current work is centered on developing new ways of narrating using 3D imagery.
2025 Physics Research Camp
June 16-20, 2025, 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Age: Grades 9-12
This camp is sold out. Email [email protected] to be added to the waitlist.
Space is limited to 12 students.
Free, Made possible by a grant from Lily Endowment Inc.
Are you a curious mind and longing for exploring and discovering the fundamentals of the nature? You are whom we are looking for! PFW physics department is proud to bring the summer research camp back on-campus after the long pause from the pandemic. Join our physics research camp and immerse yourself in small groups (3-4) working with individual faculty member in a setting similar to research labs and enjoy the excitement of scientific discovery! Our camp is designed to intrigue and foster research-oriented thinking in high school students, and provide them with a platform to explore and investigate the world of physics under the guidance of our physics professors and experienced mentors. You will learn to ask the right questions, design experiments, and analyze data, all while having fun and making friendships when you explore the wonder of physics! Lunch will be provided.
Questions? Contact Department of Physics at [email protected] or 260-481-6306.
College of Engineering, Technology and Computer Science
Through competitions, summer exploration camps, and career programs, elementary, middle, and high school students are introduced to the world of engineering, technology, and computer science. Awards and recognition are a key component of the competitive events, recognizing excellence and effort as they reinforce self-confidence. All programs encourage students to use innovative thinking, collaborate on problem-solving, apply classroom learning, and explore their future career options with encouragement from Purdue Fort Wayne faculty and community partners. Our STEM youth programs build self-confidence, engage exploration of STEM, and encourage students in their future.
To check out the summer camps, visit ETCS' Summer Exploration Camps.
For other outreach opportunities and one-day competitions, such as Eweek Model Bridge Building Contest and Lego League, go here.
At a glance for 2025
- Summer camps are offered in June and July.
- Costs range from $50 to $500 (residential camp).
- 2 Elementary camps
- 7 Middle school camps
- 8 High school camps
College of Liberal Arts
Experience the Liberal Arts:The Collaboratory
June 9-13, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Liberal Arts Building
Fee: $50 (includes light breakfast and lunch each day)
Join us in June for our Liberal Arts Institute and make your summer count! Designed for curious and ambitious teens ages 14-17, our Collaboratory offers a perfect blend of education, enrichment, and fun. From hands-on activities to thought-provoking discussions with your peers and PFW faculty, The Collaboratory is your gateway to discovering the transformative power of a liberal arts education. Need-based and merit-based scholarships are available.
For more information or if you have questions, contact [email protected] or 260-481-6160.
Register now!
Appleseed Writing Project
Appleseed Youth Writing camps have been happening for over 15 years. Each summer, elementary school students and middle school students deepen their creative writing skills in a fun environment. We look forward to having your campers with us on campus as we help them become better writers! If you have questions, please contact Dr. Sarah Sandman, Co-Director, Appleseed Youth Writing Camps, [email protected].
Register now!
June 16-20, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
From basic equipment tips and tools to understanding the impact video can have on an audience, students will walk away with an understanding of how to tell a story. Work with camera, microphone, and edit footage shot in and out of class using DaVinci, free editing software. Final camper projects will be screened at Cinema Center! Video Production Camp is directed by Dr. Art Herbig and Alix Watson of the Purdue Fort Wayne Center for Collaborative Media. For information call 260-481-6056 or email [email protected].