Las Vegas Students Learn to Create Tools and Solve Problems with AI at UNLV

Artificial intelligence is opening up new ways to create, learn, and solve problems.

This summer, 25 Las Vegas middle and high school students spent a week at UNLV exploring those possibilities and learning how to make artificial intelligence (AI) work for their ideas.

They participated in UNLV’s first AI Explorers Camp, which was hosted by the university’s information technology (IT) team. The five-day program gave them hands-on experience with AI through projects and activities designed in part by UNLV student employees.

“My biggest goal was for them to understand that AI is a tool to work with, not a replacement,” camp director AJ Angulo said. “So I showed them ways to work faster with AI, to guide it, instead of just having it work for you.”

Learning by Creating
Students created music, images, and videos, built websites, and developed custom AI assistants.

“Some were brand new to AI at the start of the week, but by the end, they were using multiple AI tools together to create a product they could pitch,” Angulo said.

Putting AI to Work
During one activity, students used AI to design a room. Program leader Josiah Machado asked them to provide details such as their budget, interests, and personal style.

“Once they did that, the quality of the AI’s responses improved significantly,” Machado said. “Many students realized that AI could be used to solve real-world problems and create practical, personalized solutions.”

On the final day, teams put what they learned into practice by designing and pitching AI tools aimed at solving problems facing high school students.

What Comes Next
The first camp is also helping UNLV plan what comes next.

Next summer, UNLV IT plans to offer separate beginner and advanced levels. The university also hopes to reach more local high schools and introduce students and families to education and career opportunities in technology.

“I want to keep expanding our outreach to local high schools and offering programs like this,” Angulo said. “So students see UNLV IT as a resource, and maybe even end up here one day, exploring the different tracks and careers in tech and IT.”

For these students, the week was about more than seeing what AI can do. It was about discovering what they can do with it.