New round of Scientific Encounters for high school students 2014!

2014-09-03

During August 13–15 the Young Academy of Sweden is arranging a summer camp for high school students at the beautifully located Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences in Fiskebäckskil, on the west coast of Sweden. With a focus on the core of research, namely curiosity and a passion for exploring the world around us, discussions are interspersed with field trips, lectures and excursions.

Scientific Encounters, Forskarmöten in Swedish, is a three-day camp about research for high school students at the age of 17 with an interest in the topic. During the meeting, participants meet researchers from the Young Academy of Sweden for stimulating and inspiring discussions about what research means, such as:

• What is it like to be a scientist?
• How can research help improving the world?
• Are there any dangers in research?

The agenda includes everything from nuclear physics to the humanities, with a focus on the core of research, the scientific method, curiosity and the passion for exploring things.

Academy member Henrik Zetterberg comments on Forskarmöten

– The purpose of Forskarmöten is to offer high school students an opportunity for so-called “Defining moments”; moments or situations where you find out what it is you want to do in life. In the book chapters* the first generation of Young Academy of Sweden members have written, it is clear that an interest in research often is brought quite early on in life by inspiring meetings with teachers, researchers or other people who somehow opened the door to the scientific community. We want to do that. The future will show whether we have succeeded. If, in any case, we have managed to contribute to that, it is absolutely amazing! says Henrik Zetterberg, Professor of neurochemistry.

*In 2013 the Academy released the book “Vägar till vetenskapen” (Pathways to Science), where members of the Academy describe their lives as researchers and what made them choose their particular career path.

Forskarmöten 2013

Forskarmöten took place for the first time 14–16 August 2013, at the Sven Lovén Centre. About 40 students applied and 21 were able to participate by criteria such as area of interest, gender and stated motivation for wanting to participate. Six members of the Young Academy of Sweden were responsible for the programme and implementation.