Life at Ilum

*Life at Ilum

Daily life at the Ilum School of Science

An open space for exchanging knowledge and for experimentation

At Ilum, teaching and research go hand in hand. The environment at the Ilum School of Science was designed to encourage interaction, knowledge exchange, experimentation, and innovation. The school’s infrastructure spans an area of 2100 square meters in the Santa Cândida district of Campinas (São Paulo), and includes integrated areas for study, team projects, and shared lounge space. The classrooms are large, innovative, and set up in a table-and-chair format featuring multimedia resources and movable whiteboards. Four cutting-edge laboratories are provided for hands-on classes using advanced educational equipment. there is also a library and a studio for video recording and editing.

Ilum Learning Center

The LEARNING CENTER at Ilum serves as a space for transformation on the CNPEM campus, encouraging a rethinking of the space by bringing together different areas and creating spaces for encounters. This initiative provides a place for shared experiences with new generations of researchers and the country’s future scientists. An extension of the Ilum School of Science, the Learning Center includes classrooms, a coworking space, study rooms, an academic center, library and meeting spaces. The upper floor of the building, the same level as the Sirius particle accelerator, serves as a space for contemplation, leisure, relaxation and informal study.

Classrooms

In the CLASSROOMS at the Ilum School of Science, traditional rows of desks have been replaced with tables and chairs to bring together groups of students, encouraging collaboration and the exchange of ideas, always with support and mediation from Ilum professors. The lecture spaces also contain multimedia resources and movable whiteboards which can be used by instructors to explain concepts in more detail, as well as by the students for interaction, in line with the concept of peer learning..

Lounge Area

At Ilum, not all learning takes place within the classrooms or laboratories. Every space is a place for teaching and learning. The LOUNGE AREA at the heart of the school is integrated into the cafe area and is perfect for relaxing during breaks on the sofas, but also serves as a study space with laptop stations

Dry Lab

The DRY LAB is a place for hands-on microscopy activities and computing classes. It is equipped with portable platinum binocular microscopes that can magnify sample images up to 100 times and are also linked to Arduinos and sensors used in automation and robotics projects.

Wet Lab

The WET LAB at Ilum has equipment to separate liquid samples for assays to identify proteins and nucleic acids and synthesize ceramic, vitreous, and nanomaterials in order to work with chemical solutions containing volatile solvents and amplify genetic material.

Special Equipment Laboratory

Right from the beginning of their program, Ilum students have contact with advanced research equipment. These include atomic force and tunneling microscopes at the SPECIAL EQUIPMENT LABORATORY. These devices produce high-resolution images that make it possible to study the physical and chemical structures of materials as well as their properties. They are capable of analyses on the atomic and nano scales.

Spectrometry Laboratory

The school also has a SPECTROMETRY LABORATORY with instruments used to measure absorption of radiation in the visible, ultraviolent, and infrared spectra with various applications, such as measuring the size of metallic nanoparticles, conducting cell proliferation assays, and determining the structure, chemical bonds, and concentration of compounds dissolved in solvents.

Library

The LIBRARY’s collections contain basic literature on the sciences, reading areas, and rooms for group study. Besides the school library, students also have access to the expansive collection of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), which contains thousands of volumes.

Multimedia Room

The MULTIMEDIA ROOM has all the equipment and resources necessary for audio and video recording. O estúdio é aberto para produções dos professores e alunos.

Faculty Office

The FACULTY OFFICE has workstations with computers as well as private spaces for meeting with students.

Classes and Activities

Scientific practice requires an immersive experience that combines theoretical knowledge and testing. With this in mind, students not only study concepts and fundamentals but also participate in frequent hands-on activities in the laboratories and classrooms at Ilum. They are constantly challenged to create strategies to solve real problems. Activities are always done in groups, encouraging teamwork.