Summer School of Science, S 3 Science and education center Višnjan Society for out of frame education

Basic facts Since schools/16 camps (8-10 days) 3-4 high school students per project/mentor 189 participants and 142 mentors/educators Participants from 13 countries Mentors from 9 countries In Višnjan – VSA, YSC (3 camps) and Explora

8AM 9AM 1PM 2PM 6PM 7PM 9PM 11:30PM

Projects Usually, the project has a single goal: to make a specific measurement, answer a question, build an instrument, or to write a piece of software. The project is expected to be completed entirely by students, with project leader acting as their guide. Topics: Biology Physics Computer science Chemistry Mathematics Engineering

Presenting skills Participants are expected to present their progress on briefings and their results on the final presentation, honing along the way their communication skills. With the final presentation and web report, the project is finished. With a lecture “How to present scientific results” students are informed about basic rules of giving a presentation or publishing your data in a scientific journal.

Workshops Research Swapshop It consists of several mini-projects lasting 4 hours, unrelated to main projects of the camp. Participants again work in small groups under the guidance of a mentor, but this time the groups are perturbed and the mentor is a young undergraduate student. The Swapshop gives participants an opportunity to get yet another experience in a laboratory and it gives their regular project leaders free time during one afternoon. The Swapshop is led by young mentors who have no prior experience in teaching and project management. Therefore, it is an excellent training ground and a source of new project leaders for the S3 camp.

Workshops Science and Society The aim is to put science in a wider social context. Depending on the year and workshop leader, themes can vary. For example difference between science and pseudoscience or ethical questions in science. The workshop is aimed to show specifically how scientific progress is intimately connected with our humanistic and religious beliefs, as well as our social and economic realities.

Lectures The program is accompanied by lectures lasting up to an hour, with additional time devoted to discussion. Here, the aim is to train students to participate actively in one of the cornerstones of scientific communication. We ask lecturers to stay an extra day at the School, so participants can socialize with them during meals and breaks. Topics: natural sciences technical sciences debates

Field trip One full day is reserved for an excursion: an adventure trip or exploration of natural and cultural heritage of the region. First day we organize educational teambuilding to achieve a better bounding between students from a very beginning.

Challenges Expensive program, only partially covered by sponsors Limited capacity to maximum 40 participants per year PR only mouth to mouth, hard to reach small towns