Computer Sciences Outreach

One of the longest and deepest traditions surrounding the University of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Idea signifies a general principle: that education should influence people’s lives beyond the boundaries of the classroom. The Department of Computer Sciences hosts a variety of outreach programs to bring the research, ideas, and resources of the department into the community.

Two elementary students and a club facilitator look towards a computer screen. The students smile as the club facilitator provides guidance.]

Scratch Clubs

UW students teach computational thinking to the next generation by leading after-school clubs for schools and organizations in Madison. Elementary students create games, animations, and interactive art using the Scratch programming environment. Visit the program website for more information on hosting a club at your school or organization.

CS402 class group photo, a group of students wearing red scratch club t-shirts.

CS 402 (Introducing Computer Science to K-12)

CS 402 is a community based learning course that facilitates Scratch Clubs in schools and organizations around Madison. In the course students learn and practice facilitation, communication, and learning design skills needed to facilitate creative computing workshops for elementary school students. The course is open to graduate or undergraduate students of all majors. Visit the course website for more information.

Outside photo of the Computer Sciences building with bike racks in the foreground.

CS Explorations Summer Camp

New for Summer 2026! Dive into the world of computer science at UW–Madison. Spend an unforgettable week exploring cutting-edge research with university researchers and students. Open to students entering 5th to 8th grade.

An educator creates a collage portrait out of found materials as part of a creative computing workshop.

CS Outreach Fellows

The fellows are a group of graduate students from across Computer Sciences who are interested in and committed to conducting public outreach events. They meet in a monthly community of practice to build outreach facilitation skills, design a new outreach activity based on their research, and implement outreach events for the department

Grandparents University

Grandparents University is an on-campus program for children accompanied by a grandparent or other older adult relative hosted by the WAA. As part of the program, we host two “majors” that participants can choose: Computer Sciences and Social Robotics. Visit the GPU website for information on how to register.

A collection of research robots sit on a table top. They include a robotic arm as well as three humanoid robots.

Educator Creative Computing Workshops

Outreach staff from Computer Sciences lead professional learning workshops in creative computing and block-based coding for classroom & informal educators and UW-Madison education courses. The hands-on workshops are based on our Scratch Club curriculum and are available based on staff capacity. Email Peter at outreach@cs.wisc.edu if you’re interested in hosting a workshop.

School and Community Visits

We host school & community groups to introduce both CS ideas and information about studying at UW. Visits can include a presentation from an academic advisor, a conversation with current CS students, and demos or workshops with faculty & staff. Visit the program page for more information on requesting a group visit.

Robotics Outreach

The UW–Madison Robotics Group is a campus-wide group of faculty, students, and staff carrying out research related to robotics from three departments and six research laboratories. The group carries out large-scale collaborative projects across laboratories as well as engages in campus-level educational and outreach efforts. Visit their page for more information or to request a visit.

For more information about Computer Sciences outreach initiatives, contact us at outreach@cs.wisc.edu