Students in Tompkins County are learning math and science inside a shopping mall thanks to a new academy. It's called UCode, and it opened at the beginning of the year inside the shops at Ithaca Mall.

UCode uses a simplified version of the coding system Python, and allows students to develop skills like computational thinking and engineering. There are step-by-step lessons, including hands-on experience.

“You see kids who are measuring, thinking, and analyzing their actions. They are really just using their brains, kind of like engineers,” said Academic Director Janet Carmosky.

Classes run about 90 minutes. For more information, visit their website.