Sir
We appreciated reading your recommendation that other universities should promote initiatives like those offered in the United States, to “give young people enough of a glimpse of the world of science to be enticed further into it”. In particular, we liked your suggestion that research facilities should invite secondary-school students to their laboratories during the summer holidays (see Nature 419, 233; 200210.1038/419233b).
In Portugal, research institutes have been providing summer internships for secondary-school students for several years now, with the support of European Regional Development Funds and the Portuguese government (see http://www.cienciaviva.pt). Students work in research laboratories, where they are given specific simple scientific tasks, sometimes including field work, for one week or more. The aim is to give them a clear idea of the realities of research in topics including mathematics, biotechnology, robotics and cancer. Several of the best Portuguese scientific institutes participate in this activity on a regular basis, and both students and researchers have found it to be a very positive experience.
Last summer, a similar initiative was extended to secondary-school teachers, who are given a chance to work with state-of-the-art laboratory equipment and learn about the most recent developments in scientific and technological research.
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Vargas, R., Noronha, A. Schools can be inspired by a summer of science. Nature 420, 605 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/420605b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/420605b