Molecule Maker Camp

For rising 9th – 10th Graders & Teachers
June 19th – June 24th, 2023 (Invitation)

Because this is a camp with a designated group of participants, there will not be open applications for this camp.


Whether it is food, fuel, fabrics, or medicine, molecules are at the heart of the materials that make up our bodies and surround us in our everyday lives. Everyone uses molecules, but not everyone can make molecules—until now. By combining the power of artificial intelligence and robotics with human imagination, anyone can become a molecule maker. Molecule makers imagine and make molecules that could revolutionize agriculture, provide light and heat without polluting the planet, clothe us and protect us without ending up in landfills, and cure diseases. We need molecules to solve problems, and we need molecule makers to imagine and to make them. If you have an imagination and you like to solve problems, you can become a molecule maker.

Campers will:

  • Use artificial intelligence and first-of-its-kind robots to synthesize new molecules
  • Perform hands-on experiments side-by-side with researchers to solve real research problems
  • Build computer programming skills and perform simulations on supercomputers
  • Visit facilities on campus that house robots and supercomputers

Camp Coordinators:

Sabrina Abdulla is the Outreach coordinator for the Molecular Maker Lab institute at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Sabrina works mainly with the Education and Outreach aspect of MMLI to coordinate programs with members of Siebel Center for Design, graduate students and post-docs in Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering, and other MMLI affiliated departments, along with community partners within Champaign-Urbana.

Camp Schedule(s):