Five days of laboratories, seminars and a show about the cosmos to mark L’Aquila Italian Capital of Culture 2026
The second edition of the INFN STEAM Summer Camp, the summer camp dedicated to physics and science promoted by the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), with the patronage of the Ministry of Education and Merit, begins today, 13 July. The initiative is aimed at students in the third, fourth and fifth years of Italian upper secondary schools and Italian schools abroad. Participants in the 2026 edition were selected both from among those who took part in INFN projects dedicated to schools and through a national call, on the basis of the interest they have shown in science.
Until 16 July, 100 students and 20 teachers from across Italy will immerse themselves in an experience that, through meetings, laboratories and activities dedicated to particle physics and astroparticle physics, cosmology and science communication, will take them to the heart of scientific research and to one of the largest and most important underground laboratories in the world, the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratories.
The Summer Camp will also provide an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the role that research plays in society and to discover first-hand what the work of INFN researchers is like.
The opening day will be devoted to science communication. Through a storytelling workshop, the students will explore the principles and techniques of science communication, from constructing a narrative to selecting the most effective content and language for reaching different audiences. During the second part of the day, divided into groups, they will put into practice what they have just learned by creating their own science communication project.
On Tuesday 14 July, the programme will move to the heart of the science, with an overview of the main areas of INFN research, from fundamental physics to particle physics. In the afternoon, attention will turn to activities and collaboration with a workshop dedicated to scientific games and virtual and augmented reality applications developed as part of the INFN Game project, which uses the language of games to bring the public closer to physics.
The day will conclude with an event also open to the public: at 9.30 p.m., the show “The cosmos beyond imagination” will take place on the Scalinata di San Bernardino. Organised by INFN, it forms part of the initiatives promoted for L’Aquila Italian Capital of Culture 2026 and of the new edition of the cultural programme “I Cantieri dell’Immaginario”. On stage, Antonio Zoccoli, President of INFN, and Ezio Previtali, Director of the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratories, will take the audience on a journey through galaxies, black holes, gravitational waves and cosmic particles, guided by journalist Greta Mauro. The show will be enriched by music performed by Fabrizio Bosso on trumpet and Andrea Rea on piano, and readings by Bianca Mastromonaco.
On Wednesday 15 July, the day will be devoted to an in-depth exploration of cosmic-ray physics, with a thematic workshop and a special visit to the underground experimental halls of the INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratories.
The INFN STEAM Summer Camp is a project promoted by the INFN Third Mission Coordination Committee (CC3M), which supports the Public Engagement initiatives of the Institute’s scientific community through an internal peer-review evaluation process.
