Materials: innovating at the atomic scale
Water purification, clean energy production and storage, sustainable transportation, and environmental protection—all of these major challenges facing our society depend on the development of innovative materials. These materials are the subject of cutting-edge research at the crossroads of physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science, and are now benefiting from major advances made possible by artificial intelligence. Machine learning and neural networks can simulate the behavior of matter at the atomic scale to create new materials that are more flexible, resistant, or sustainable.
Through lectures, practical exercises, and laboratory visits, high school students will start from the basics to discover a wide range of techniques used in materials science, from digital simulation to experimental methods. Scientists will also guide them through tangible projects related to the understanding and development of higher-performance materials.
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| Simulation of the growth of a frost crystal. | Frost on the window of a plane. |
Practical information
- Where and when
- July 6-10, 2026 at EPFL (Lausanne)
- Timetable
- The exact times have not yet been determined, but the activities will take place in a time frame from 9:00 to 17:00; a detailed program with the final schedule will be sent to the participants.
- Who
- High school students who have passed their first year.
- Prerequisites
- No prerequisites related to specific option or mathematics level. Prior basic knowledge in programming is recommended. These basics can be acquired independently if necessary (further information below)
- Language
- French
- Material
- Computer provided by EPFL
- Costs
- CHF 50.-
Lunch and any accommodation costs are at the charge of the participants.
Registration fees for high school students from the Canton of Vaud are covered by the Canton of Vaud’s programme PLUS. - Registration
- Registration is open until May 3, 2026.
Each student may register for one pre-university week per school year.
Exceptions may be considered if sufficient places are available. - Contact
- Please contact the Education Outreach Department for any question: [email protected]
Background knowledge
The following basic knowledge in programming is recommended for participation in the camp: variables and assignments, basic operations (arithmetic, logical and comparison), loops and conditions. Interested high school students can acquire this knowledge on their own in just a few hours (half a day) by taking parts 1.2, 1.3 and 2.1, 2.2 of the course Apprenez les bases du langage Python (the rest of part 1 will be discussed during the week).