As AI is rapidly reshaping industries and careers across the global economy, we recognize that simply keeping pace is not enough — we must empower our students to lead.
Marek Beck, Ph.D., Head of School
Artificial Intelligence Intensive for Students in Rising Grades 3–9
From June 22–26, 2026, The Elisabeth Morrow School will host New Jersey’s inaugural AI Summer Institute. This high-quality project-based program is developed and taught by Stanford, MIT, and Ivy League alumni and graduate students.
Students entering grades 3–9 in the fall of 2026 will learn the fundamental concepts of AI and gain a deeper understanding of how AI is used to build generative AI systems, combat pandemics, power self-driving cars, and more. Whether they are beginners or have previous coding experience, all students will program AI using Scratch (grades 3–5) and Python (grades 6–9) and discuss ethics and bias within AI. They will also complete a design sprint that applies AI to a discipline such as public health, engineering, mobility, or art, among others. Curriculum information is provided below. Please refer to the program brochure for details about the teaching team.
Highlights of AI Summer Institute
- Class will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. daily, from Monday, June 22, through Friday, June 26.
- Prerequisites: Participants must be in rising grades 3-9; beginners are welcome, and advanced cohorts are available.
- Pricing: $1,400
AI Summer Institute Learning Tracks
Discover our age-appropriate curriculum, course structures, and featured projects by grade level.
AI Creators (Rising Grades 3–5)
Curriculum
Real World AI Applications • AI + Ethics • Block-Based Coding • UX/UI Design Basics • Project-Building
In this interdisciplinary, project-based program, students build AI apps using block-based programming tools such as Scratch and MIT RAISE Playground, as well as machine learning tools like Google’s Teachable Machine. As students learn about the concepts and ethical challenges behind AI and the basics of Scratch programming, they train and deploy machine learning models for self-driving cars, chatbots, classification problems, and more!
No prior programming or computer science background required! However, an interest in learning how to write code is appreciated.
COURSE STRUCTURE
Machine Learning Talks: Students learn about a machine learning algorithm in an accessible and intuitive way from their teacher before playing around with examples in our coding workspace.
Paper Programming: Cultivating abstraction, creativity, and design thinking with non-traditional approaches to reasoning about algorithms and UX/UI design.
Block-Based Coding: Using Scratch, a platform developed by MIT, to quickly get a project off the ground and receive instant feedback about their performance.
Project-Based Learning: Through three main projects, students will flex their newly acquired talents in a hackathon-style, with plenty of feedback and support from their teacher and classmates.
AI Pioneers (Rising Grades 6–9)
Curriculum
Python Programming • AI Algorithms + Techniques • Web App Deployment • NLP Chatbot Creation • AI + Social Good Projects
In this interdisciplinary, project-based program, students will create projects for social good using Python. Through hands-on coding, students learn how computers can use data to solve complex problems, such as natural language processing and computer vision. Students will explore the ways they can meaningfully use AI to predict heart disease, create social robots, assist with disaster relief, and navigate autonomous vehicles. Our curriculum emphasizes ethical responsibility, career paths in artificial intelligence, and interdisciplinary applications.
No prior programming or computer science background required! However, an interest in learning how to write code (specifically Python) is appreciated.
FEATURED PROJECTS
Using AI to Help Our Environment: How can we use AI to enhance sustainable farming? In this project, students will use AI to predict crop yield from the soil’s bacterial composition. They will explore AI applications for sustainability, learning how natural bacteria boost plant growth and reforestation.
Creating Your Own Netflix: How does Netflix recommend movies to us, anyway? By analyzing real-world datasets, students will build their own movie recommendation application.
Analyzing Tweets for Resource Allocation: How can we use Twitter (X) data to help provide resources to those in need during emergencies? By using natural language processing techniques, students can help first responders allocate food, water, and medicine more efficiently to help alleviate crises.
Featured Past Projects
AI Creators
AI + Mobility
Understand the different technologies that go into self-driving cars (e.g., LIDAR, computer vision), and discuss design methods for improving accessibility.
AI + Chatbots
Learn how chatbots and voice assistants like Siri and Alexa are built, and deploy your own version.
AI + You
Design your own final project, like a recycling sorter app or a translator bot, using the skills you developed throughout the course.
AI Pioneers
AI + Disaster Relief
Leverage machine learning to help first responders allocate resources in crisis situations.
AI + Art
Train models to recognize and complete sketches to create interactive and accessible computer systems.
AI + Public Health
Use computer vision to determine whether people are wearing masks properly to improve public health.
Interested in technology, but not available this week?
Check out our full Summer Explorations lineup! While the AI Institute is a special highlight, our broader camp offers high-quality, tech-integrated programming all summer long.
