Young students from five states will visit Sirius, participate in hands-on activities, and interact with researchers and cutting-edge science
Five students who won medals in the Brazilian Physics Olympiad for Public Schools (OBFEP) will be able to use the knowledge they acquired in the classroom in a concrete scientific research experience. Between June 29 and July 3, the young students will participate in an academic immersion at the research and innovation environment of CNPEM (Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials), in Campinas, with activities carried out both at Ilum School of Science, the bachelor’s degree program of the Center, and in the national laboratories.
Coming from Maceió (AL), Belo Horizonte (MG), Teresina (PI), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), and Porto Alegre (RS), the students were selected for their outstanding performance in the national competition and will have the opportunity to visit some of the most advanced scientific facilities in the country.
One of the most anticipated moments is the visit to Sirius, the particle accelerator and most complex scientific infrastructure ever built in Brazil. The program also includes experimental activities and workshops at the laboratories of the Ilum School of Science, CNPEM’s bachelor’s degree program in Science and Technology, recognized for its interdisciplinary approach and strong integration between academic teaching and practical research.
For Ana Carolina de Mattos Zeri, Ilum professor and organizer of the initiative, the experience represents a unique opportunity for students to have contact with science in its real-world production environment.
“These students excel in Physics, but have had few opportunities to do science in practice. Here, they will enter state-of-the-art laboratories, be immersed in the daily routine of CNPEM, and be encouraged to think about solutions to real-world problems of our time that involve Physics”, she says.
In addition to bringing talented young people from public schools closer to the world of scientific research, the initiative seeks to inspire new academic and professional paths, showing that science can be an accessible and transformative journey. During the five days of activities, airfare, lodging, and local transportation will be covered by CNPEM/Ilum, ensuring the presence of representatives from different regions of the country.
More than just a technical visit, this initiative aims to provide students with a comprehensive experience in the cutting-edge science environment, connecting promising young people with researchers, laboratories, and challenges that help build solutions for the future.
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. CNPEM’s research and development activities are carried out through its four National Laboratories: Synchrotron Light (LNLS), Biosciences (LNBio), Nanotechnology (LNNano), Biorenewables (LNBR), as well as its Technology Unit (DAT) and the Ilum School of Science — an undergraduate program in Science and Technology supported by the Ministry of Education (MEC).
