In February, July, and August 2025, the NeuroVivid team, along with collaborators at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, New York had fun and explored STEM with middle schoolers during week-long NeuroVivid programs. The day camp is an innovative BCI (brain-computer interface) maker experience co-designed by and for neurodivergent youth. Focused on BCI, building circuits, and coding, five-day camp led students through a series of activities culminating in the building of their own BCI headset circuit to control objects with the power of their minds.
The students loved it, engaging in structured activities with circuits and coding in the morning, and then choosing their afternoon activities based on interests and strengths. From copious observation notes and short interviews with campers and parents, the team is pulling quotes and capturing both moments of success and challenge. Check back for more!
After only a few days, campers were saying:
- “I love how flexible this camp is!”
- “Can we do this camp again in the summer?”
- “… I feel more comfortable talking to other people here. I actually feel like this place knows … I feel like this place knows me more than my parents.”
Our campers’ families were impressed too! Here are some comments from parents captured at the close of the BCI project sharing fair:
- “I just think it’s so amazing, especially the mind one where they can concentrate on a task and things move. My mind’s blown at the things that they can do with a computer, some wires, and just explore.”
- “I [was] also impressed with the inclusive environment you guys provided.”
- “He was very happy to come every single morning. He’s not usually in a good mood to go to school, but he was, he woke up in a fabulous mood. And he was always excited to come.”
Funder:
National Science Foundation
Award Number:
DRL-2241380