Viz Summer Camp Offers High School Students Inside Look At Visualization Program
Held June 14-18, the camp offered 35 students opportunities to create projects in animation and graphic design.
The inaugural Viz Summer Camp brought high school students to the Texas A&M University campus to learn and create projects alongside faculty from the Visualization program.
Held June 14-18, the camp offered 35 students an inside look at being a Visualization student, as they created projects in animation and graphic design. They also explored facilities and had evening game nights.
Jill Honeycutt, senior associate program director and instructional associate professor, said the week was a success. She said her favorite moments were when campers opened up about their interests and experiences, creating meaningful connections along the way.
“Also, seeing the bonds made between campers was a true joy,” she said. “Inside the studio setting, students truly thrived. They blew my expectations out of the water with their creativity, collaboration and willingness to learn.”
Caleb Kicklighter, instructional assistant professor, led the animation group in creating robots from scrap pieces, then building an environment in Unreal Engine to bring those characters to life.
“This project is a way to showcase a small summary of what the undergraduate animation experience is like,” he said. “And we want them to have that filmmaking experience.”
Anatol Bologan, instructional associate professor, led the design students, who rebranded existing businesses with new website designs, logos and brand guides.
“The most important thing that I want for them is to gain a certain confidence to explore and to make decisions along the way,” he said. “Design is a lot about choices — either designing the logos, choosing the fonts or the colors — and I want them to feel more comfortable with exploring those possibilities and then making the right choices.”
Students shared their projects on the last day of camp with family and friends in the Oceanography and Meteorology Building. The student camp counselors gave out superlatives for each participant, including “Powered by Caffeine,” “Ultimate Smash Bros Champion,” “Wizard of Unreal Engine,” “Mage of Maya,” “Built for Technical Difficulties” and “Trivia Titan.”
The students also experienced a close-up look at the Virtual Production Institute. Justin Kirchhoff, virtual production supervisor, and the institute’s staff guided the tour of the virtual production stage at the Langford Architecture Center, Building A.
As students approached the stage, a city nightlife scene was shown on the large LED screen, with a fog machine adding to the environment. Students could see themselves in the scene through the monitor by the stage, causing several to say, “This is so cool!”
Kirchhoff described the basics of what virtual production is and demonstrated how the institute utilizes Sony cameras and LED panels. He highlighted student projects created in the space and emphasized how students have access to this state-of-the-art technology at the university level.
“It was both exciting and motivating to observe the students during their first experience on a virtual production stage,” he said. “Our team noted the high level of energy within the group, which affirms that the technology and expertise provided by the Virtual Production Institute are effectively supporting current and future student success.”
Honeycutt said she hopes the experience helped campers envision themselves as future Visualization students at Texas A&M.
“Our program is uniquely special on campus, and my goal was to showcase that throughout the week,” she said. “I am already looking forward to expanding our offerings in the summer of 2027 and hosting more students.”
Photos by Igor Kraguljac.
