YOUNGSTOWN Tech camp benefits youths

Local students share interest in computers at YSU camp.
By ROB MEYER
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Raj Sheth sits in front of a computer, watching a video clip of himself shooting baskets in Youngstown State University's Beeghly Center.
Earlier in the day, Sheth, a freshman at Boardman High School, and other local students went to Beeghly armed with a digital video camera. They recorded video of one another shooting 3-point baskets from all around the court. The video session will later be turned into a 3-point shooting computer game.
"There's a powerbar and an accuracy meter," Sheth said of the game, taking a break from creating it. "If you shoot the ball with too much power, it will go over the hoop. If you don't have the accuracy meter in the right spot, it will bounce off the rim or something."
Creating video games with self-created digital images is one of many things about 60 local students are doing at the second "Technology is Fun" Summer Day Camp at YSU. Camp began on Tuesday and runs through Friday.
The camp staff includes volunteer YSU faculty members, area high school teachers and YSU information technology majors, who are earning 20 percent of their grade for a fall class.
Earning experience
One group of students participating in the camp will be learning programming software Visual Basic. Others such as Sheth are learning how to create programs with graphic software. The third group will rotate through five different technology areas -- PC Maintenance, Digital Sound, Digital Photography, Web Creating and Networking.
John Lapushansky, a 17-year-old student at Chaney High School, will be studying Visual Basic.
"Last year I came and had a lot of fun," he said. "I wanted to see what they were doing this summer."
Lapushansky will move from group to group, but said he is looking forward to the photography session.
"We took pictures with a digital camera last year," he said. "One of the kids in my group took a picture of this girl. Then he made her eyes really big by using Photoshop. It was funny."
Chaney sophomore Michael Willmith is an avid computer-gaming fan and is participating in the Visual Basic and Networking sessions. He is interested in becoming a computer programer, so he decided attending the camp would help him gain necessary knowledge about the field.
"We are learning how to put together simple programs," he said. "I love computers and programing; I've been around them my whole life."
Willmith said his favorite game to play over networks is Warcraft.
"That's the most popular [game] right now," he said.
rmeyer@vindy.com