Eleven enthusiastic students from high schools in and around Olomouc participated in the Summer School of Optics, which was organized for the tenth time by the Joint Laboratory of Optics. A week full of science allowed them to take a peek into the secrets of optics and get acquainted with the latest findings in this promising field.
"Hundreds of students have already attended our summer school. Many of them are now successfully studying physics at Palacký University," said the director of the summer school, Professor Jan Soubusta. The programme covered a wide range of topics: classical beam optics, interference, polarisation, dispersion, lasers and particle detection. Students gained not only theoretical knowledge but also practical skills that will be useful in their future studies. They learned how to use optical instruments, perform experiments, analyse data and work effectively in a research team.
This year, the summer school was enriched with a new feature: students earned points for assigned tasks or their own activity, which they could use to buy prizes in auction on the last day, so each participant took home a small present. "I liked the summer school very much and I really appreciated the individual approach, the opportunity to try everything out and get to places I would not normally get to," said student Lucie Stavarská.
The summer school is a great opportunity for all high school students who are interested in physics and optics. The programme helps them to deepen their knowledge and develop their ability to work as a team. This was also confirmed by Milan Severa: " the summer school of optics was great; the topics were interesting and very well prepared." Six of the students have even already agreed to carry out a special individual laboratory task during the follow-up week at the end of August.
Want to find out more about the Summer School of Optics? Visit the Joint Laboratory of Optics website.