Summer Youth Camp for Computational Linguistics (SYCCL) 

The Institute for Advanced Computational Science and Department of Linguistics at Stony Brook University are offering a 10-day camp introducing middle and high school students to computational linguistics and language technology. This camp will be held in a hyrbrid format.  Students must be 15 years old or older by the time of the camp to attend in person. No prior knowledge of programming or formal linguistics is assumed. This hands-on camp introduces students to both the wonder of natural languages and the analytical methods that underlay the natural language technology people use every day in all parts of the world.

The camp concurrently (1) teaches students about the ways in which human languages are both the same and different, (2) introduces them to software and technology for processing language and human speech, and (3) gets them to apply these tools and knowledge to directly investigate many languages in the world, including ones that are neither well-documented nor well-studied.

With faculty and graduate students, participants will learn analytical, computational, and creative thinking about human language as well as the research challenges facing the science and engineering which underlie natural language technologies. They will participate in team projects motivated by these same research challenges. 

By the end of the camp, students will have sufficient linguistic knowledge, analytical skills, software expertise, and awareness of the field to pursue further independent study and to inform future choices for education and careers. Ideally students will use their own laptops(Macs, PCs or Linux are acceptable; a few are available for loan) so they can continue to use the camp's open-source software and tools. Applications are due by June 1 and must be submitted by email as one pdf document to iacs@stonybrook.edu. 

Applications consist of:

application Google form

a copy of your most recent report card

a copy of your school transcript

Participants will be notified of their acceptance by June 23rd. Payment for the workshop is due June 30.

SCHEDULE

July 15 - 26, 2024

Each day begins at 9:00 am and ends at 3 pm with a lunch break from 12-1 pm. 

Schedule for each day TBD.

DIRECTIONS & PARKING

Stony Brook Campus is accessible by train, car and public bus. Once on campus, all SBU buses are free. Map of campus

By Train

From Penn Station in Manhattan, take the Long Island Rail Road’s Port Jefferson line to Stony Brook Station, directly on campus (http://lirr42.mta.info/). From the Stony Brook railroad station you can take an SBU Campus Outer Loop bus (free) to the Life Sciences stop. Our building is a short walk from the bus stop.

By Car

From points west and east, take the Long Island Expressway (LIE, I-495) to exit 62 (CR 97), and follow Nicolls Road north for approximately 9 miles. The main entrance to the University will be on your left. Turn left into the main entrance and then turn left at the first light onto Circle Road. Turn right from Circle Road onto Lake Drive; bear right into the parking lot in front of the IACS building. To find the campus via GPS, use “100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, NY 11790 or 11794.”

By Bus

For bus service from all points in Suffolk County, see http://www.sct-bus.org/schedules.html. Your destination is the Stony Brook Railroad Station, which is directly on campus. From there you can take an SBU Campus Outer Loop bus (free) to the Life Sciences stop. Our building is a short walk from the bus stop. 

Parking

Parking is available in the Administration Parking Garage located diagonally to your left as you come to the first light, after driving onto campus through the Main Entrance. We will validate your ticket each day to waive the parking fees.

COSTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS

The fee for the workshop is $575. Instructions for payment will be sent via email once acceptance is confirmed. Scholarships to fully waive the workshop fee are available for those students who qualify for the free or reduced lunch program in their school districts. If you are interested in having the camp fee waived and you are eligible, please fill in "yes" to the question on the application cover form. 

SUPPLIES

Ideally each participant should bring his/her own laptop (Mac, PC or Linux are acceptable). We do have laptops that we can loan to students for the duration of the workshop. If you need to borrow a laptop, please fill in "yes" to the question on the application cover form. No other supplies are needed. All necessary software will be provided. 

PREREQUISITES

No prior knowledge of programming is necessary. Knowledge of pre-calculus is encouraged but not required.

QUESTIONS

For more information or questions, email iacs@stonybrook.edu.