High school students can participate in activities that foster scientific curiosity and creativity
Students from public high schools in Campinas (SP) and the surrounding region can apply to participate in Knowledge Workshops organized by the Ilum School of Science, the undergraduate degree program offered by the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM). Registration opens on Monday, February 10 and closes on March 17.
The Knowledge Workshops promote interaction between high schoolers and the students in the science and technology program at Ilum. Under the supervision of Ilum professors, participants will be involved in hands-on activities that bring them closer to science as a fundamental component of the country’s development. The workshops will be held on 15 Saturdays, from April to October, and a total of 30 slots are available.
Besides providing contact with the scientific environment, which can encourage these students to pursue related careers, the workshops also promote critical thinking and provide unique experiences for participants, who have access to cutting-edge laboratories where they can test what they learn in the classroom.
“Participating in lab experiences helps students develop specific technical skills, and also stimulates analytical thinking and problem solving. Additionally, students come into contact with advanced areas of study, which can motivate them to explore careers in science,” says Nelson Studart, Academic Coordinator at the Ilum School of Science.
This annual event is part of Ilum’s Outreach Activity Curriculum, a way for the undergraduate students to return the knowledge they acquire back to society and help change the lives of other young people. “The students divide into four teams that plan and practice the activities that will be presented in the workshops, under the supervision of two professors. The topics are generally related to the projects they carry out in the laboratory and are adapted for high school groups,” adds Studart.
The list of the 30 applicants selected for the workshops will be published on March 25. Selection is based on academic transcripts, and participants will receive a transportation allowance and a certificate that requires them to attend at least 70% of the sessions.
About the Ilum School of Science
Ilum offers a free undergraduate degree program that utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to train scientists and professionals in science and technology. With an innovative educational model, the three-year full-time bachelor program offers courses that connect life sciences, materials science, data science, artificial intelligence, and the humanities in order to prepare researchers to work in an ethical and collaborative manner in the search for solutions to the global challenges of the twenty-first century. The Ilum School of Science is funded by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) and is part of the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) in Campinas, São Paulo, a social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation (MCTI). Ilum’s educational mission offers early contact with experimental activities, in teaching labs at the school as well as at CNPEM, in projects carried out together with researchers.
About CNPEM
The Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM) is home to a state-of-the-art, multi-user and multidisciplinary scientific environment and works on different fronts within the Brazilian National System for Science, Technology and Innovation. A social organization overseen by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI), CNPEM is driven by research that impacts the areas of health, energy, renewable materials, and sustainability. It is responsible for Sirius, the largest assembly of scientific equipment constructed in the country, and is currently constructing Project Orion, a laboratory complex for advanced pathogen research. Highly specialized science and engineering teams, sophisticated infrastructure open to the scientific community, strategic lines of investigation, innovative projects involving the productive sector, and training for researchers and students are the pillars of this institution that is unique in Brazil and able to serve as a bridge between knowledge and innovation. It is responsible for operating the Brazilian Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), and Biorenewables (LNBR) National Laboratories, as well as the Ilum School of Science, which offers a bachelor’s degree program in science and technology with support from the Ministry of Education (MEC).
