K-State professor is teaching young students the power of AI
Each year, K-8 students visit K-State’s Manhattan campus for Coding Camp, a camp that exposes students to the power of AI. The 2026 event drew more than 100 kids, hoping to take home bragging rights – and a Sony PlayStation 5.
For Safia Malallah, assistant teaching professor of computer science, the camp wasn’t about the prizes. It was about challenging the next generation to develop AI solutions for real-world problems.
Students use the Scratch programming language during the camp to develop coding animations, games or applications. Through camps like this, Malallah is securing a bright future for computer science in Kansas by exposing students to the field early.
“Involving kids in coding ensures that they are exposed to computational thinking starting at a young age, when their science and technology identity is formed,” Malallah said. “Exposing students at a young age will lead to a higher number of trained technology professionals in the future, expanding Kansas’ pool of talent.”
Malallah and her team keep this larger goal in mind. Between public library events, school visits, science festivals and more, they’ve taught AI-related lessons to almost 800 students.
Many schools are behind the curve when it comes to the use of AI in the classroom. Malallah is working to bring Kansas classrooms up to speed.
“We are actively working to address this gap by developing low-cost, accessible materials that do not require additional financial support from schools, while also supporting educators in integrating AI into their classrooms,” she said.
Naturally, many parents are hesitant about the growing popularity of AI usage in their children’s classrooms. That’s why Malallah’s team offered a “Parenting with AI” workshop during the coding camp for parents to better understand how students can properly use AI to benefit their education. Parents were given the opportunity to get their many questions answered in discussion with experts.
The K-State computer science department is coding its way toward a bigger goal: to use AI research and education for the benefit of all students regardless of age, major or background. Malallah is doing her part by exposing students to AI-related challenges at the youngest age possible.
By Will Hudelson
Curated from Mapping the future: K-State computer science positions Kansas for its AI era