Google Chrome Academy debuts in Mountain View
July 8th, 2013 | Published in Uncategorized
School may be out but the learning has continued at the Googleplex in Mountain View, California! From June 16th - June 22nd, 29 university students participated in the first ever Google Chrome Academy; a jam-packed week of instruction, hacking, career development, networking and social activities for computer science students.
The goal of Chrome Academy is to expose first and second year undergraduate students to new and cutting-edge web app technologies while also giving them a strong foundation in building packaged applications for Chrome. Students attended classes taught by Googlers who are experts in their field, while also working in groups to create fully functioning web applications by the end of the week!
Recently we sat down with a few of the Academics, to hear their thoughts and takeaways from the program.
Catherine Mullings, Stanford University
Ruben Martinez, Bowdoin College
John Moore, Boston University
Tell us about your experience at Chrome Academy.
Catherine: Creativity, innovation, and curiosity best describe my experience with Chrome Academy. For me, Chrome Academy served as a time of pure exploration. Whether it was a conversation with a Googler, listening to a lecture, or coding with a fellow Academic, Chrome Academy left me feeling intellectually enriched. My desire to learn more about web development was completely fulfilled.
Ruben: I really enjoyed my time at Chrome Academy because it introduced me to so many other young people with interests similar to my own. I enjoyed being able to talk about "geeky" things and have people that understood the language I was speaking. I had a great time learning about exciting new frameworks that are pushing the capabilities of the web forward, and I enjoyed getting to meet some of the engineers at the forefront of this battle.
What made you decide to apply for Chrome Academy?
Ruben: The CS program at my school is very theoretical and mathematical, so we don't get too many opportunities to apply what we learn directly to real life. Thus, I jumped at the opportunity to be able to use some of my skills for real-world applications.
Catherine: What attracted me to Chrome Academy was being mentored by Googlers that create new technologies, being around like-minded students, and being encouraged to think creatively while building cool programs.
What was the highlight of Chrome Academy for you? What was the coolest thing you learned?
John: Working with my team, especially in the final day of development, was one of my favorite parts of Chrome Academy. Seeing all of our individual work and research come together and function as desired was inspiring. Knowing that my team was working on one part of the code or presentation while I worked on another, seeing their progress as I worked, helping each other overcome issues, syncing changes with our repository, and watching as our web application gradually became what we had envisioned were all awesome experiences!
Catherine: The highlight of Chrome Academy was the opportunity to regularly converse with Googlers. Listening to their variety stories from how they grew up to how they shaped their goals gave me an entirely new perspective. They exposed me to a myriad of ideas and topics that inspired me to keep pursuing my goals and try new avenues of life.
What are the next steps for you?
Catherine: The next steps for me are to explore and utilize the technologies that Chrome Academy has introduced to me and learn how to be an even better web developer/designer. Chrome Academy reminded me of the importance of thinking innovatively and striving to improve the world with technology.
John: Google’s Chrome Academy introduced me to some powerful new web technologies and libraries, many of which I had only heard of but never tried before attending the program, and some of which I didn’t even know about. Now that I know what I don’t know, my goal is to work on learning these new technologies, and to build some interesting projects (and continue current ones) with them.
What advice would you give to people considering applying to Chrome Academy next year?
Catherine:
1.) Start your application early.
2.) Get to know Google! Find and talk to a classmate who has been to Google (e.g. interned, worked, or participated in a Google summer program) and ask them about their experience being at Google.
4.) Show enthusiasm and curiosity to learn in your application!
5.) Don’t underestimate yourself! Show off what you coded even if you think it isn't that polished. The simple act of building a program may already reveal your passion for creating/coding, an enthusiasm for technology, and/or a willingness to dare to do unimaginable things! If you share what you have coded, these characteristics about yourself will be illustrated much more clearly.
After applying for Chrome Academy, Catherine went on to apply for a Google Summer Internship, where she was accepted and is currently interning in the Google Mountain View office!
For more information on Chrome Academy, please check our video on Google Developers Live!
If you want to follow in the footsteps of Catherine keep an eye on the Google Students page for potential programs or opportunities.
Posted by Allison Roarty, Tech Student Development Programs
The goal of Chrome Academy is to expose first and second year undergraduate students to new and cutting-edge web app technologies while also giving them a strong foundation in building packaged applications for Chrome. Students attended classes taught by Googlers who are experts in their field, while also working in groups to create fully functioning web applications by the end of the week!
Recently we sat down with a few of the Academics, to hear their thoughts and takeaways from the program.
Catherine Mullings, Stanford University
Ruben Martinez, Bowdoin College
John Moore, Boston University
Tell us about your experience at Chrome Academy.
Catherine: Creativity, innovation, and curiosity best describe my experience with Chrome Academy. For me, Chrome Academy served as a time of pure exploration. Whether it was a conversation with a Googler, listening to a lecture, or coding with a fellow Academic, Chrome Academy left me feeling intellectually enriched. My desire to learn more about web development was completely fulfilled.
Ruben: I really enjoyed my time at Chrome Academy because it introduced me to so many other young people with interests similar to my own. I enjoyed being able to talk about "geeky" things and have people that understood the language I was speaking. I had a great time learning about exciting new frameworks that are pushing the capabilities of the web forward, and I enjoyed getting to meet some of the engineers at the forefront of this battle.
What made you decide to apply for Chrome Academy?
Ruben: The CS program at my school is very theoretical and mathematical, so we don't get too many opportunities to apply what we learn directly to real life. Thus, I jumped at the opportunity to be able to use some of my skills for real-world applications.
Catherine: What attracted me to Chrome Academy was being mentored by Googlers that create new technologies, being around like-minded students, and being encouraged to think creatively while building cool programs.
What was the highlight of Chrome Academy for you? What was the coolest thing you learned?
John: Working with my team, especially in the final day of development, was one of my favorite parts of Chrome Academy. Seeing all of our individual work and research come together and function as desired was inspiring. Knowing that my team was working on one part of the code or presentation while I worked on another, seeing their progress as I worked, helping each other overcome issues, syncing changes with our repository, and watching as our web application gradually became what we had envisioned were all awesome experiences!
Catherine: The highlight of Chrome Academy was the opportunity to regularly converse with Googlers. Listening to their variety stories from how they grew up to how they shaped their goals gave me an entirely new perspective. They exposed me to a myriad of ideas and topics that inspired me to keep pursuing my goals and try new avenues of life.
What are the next steps for you?
Catherine: The next steps for me are to explore and utilize the technologies that Chrome Academy has introduced to me and learn how to be an even better web developer/designer. Chrome Academy reminded me of the importance of thinking innovatively and striving to improve the world with technology.
John: Google’s Chrome Academy introduced me to some powerful new web technologies and libraries, many of which I had only heard of but never tried before attending the program, and some of which I didn’t even know about. Now that I know what I don’t know, my goal is to work on learning these new technologies, and to build some interesting projects (and continue current ones) with them.
What advice would you give to people considering applying to Chrome Academy next year?
Catherine:
1.) Start your application early.
2.) Get to know Google! Find and talk to a classmate who has been to Google (e.g. interned, worked, or participated in a Google summer program) and ask them about their experience being at Google.
4.) Show enthusiasm and curiosity to learn in your application!
5.) Don’t underestimate yourself! Show off what you coded even if you think it isn't that polished. The simple act of building a program may already reveal your passion for creating/coding, an enthusiasm for technology, and/or a willingness to dare to do unimaginable things! If you share what you have coded, these characteristics about yourself will be illustrated much more clearly.
After applying for Chrome Academy, Catherine went on to apply for a Google Summer Internship, where she was accepted and is currently interning in the Google Mountain View office!
For more information on Chrome Academy, please check our video on Google Developers Live!
If you want to follow in the footsteps of Catherine keep an eye on the Google Students page for potential programs or opportunities.
Posted by Allison Roarty, Tech Student Development Programs