Otevrena veda (Open Science) II - integration of talented secondary school students into scientific research
The project offers secondary school students the chance to participate in real-life research and discover scientific work in its day-to-day practice.
Open Science II facilitates cooperation between research institutes and secondary schools in the Czech Republic, offering:
• Research internships to secondary school students under the guidance of experienced scientists
• Training courses for secondary school teachers in physics, biology and chemistry tutored by senior researchers.
The research internships are carried out at 20 research institutes of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic (ASCR) and seven universities across the Czech Republic. The topics of the research projects offered cover the whole range of scientific disciplines, from biology and chemistry to physics, mathematics and computer science. Conducting their research, students have the chance to work in state-of-the-art laboratories and research facilities or participate in field surveys and get to know the everyday life of a scientist.
The training courses for teachers are intended to broaden their existing knowledge and provide them with information about the latest developments in the field.
Basic information
The Open Science II project builds on the experience gained in the previous project (Open Science I) targeted at secondary school students in Prague. The current project is open to all secondary school students, except for those studying in Prague.
The research internships take place during the school year (usually three hours per week); the result of the internship is a research paper with similar structure and formal requirements to papers published in academic journals.
The research papers are then presented at student conferences organised by the project. The best projects are also published in scientific journals and presented at international conferences.
The training courses in biology, chemistry and physics provide secondary school teachers with an overview of the latest developments in those fields and practical tips on how to make their classes more interesting (hands-on experiments, games etc.).
The tutors are experienced researchers from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and top Czech universities.