By young experts, for future experts
The Summer School of Science is organized by an expert team of young scientists and STEM majors, who ensure a high level of quality, as well as a personable touch.
Supervisor
President of the Society for Out-of-Frame Education
Leonardo is a passionate researcher and educator. He graduated Natural Sciences in 2016 at Trinity College, University of Cambridge, where he was awarded First Class Honours for excellent examination results. In 2021, he obtained his PhD in nanomagnetism at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, where he investigated the physics of permanent magnets used in electric cars. He has published papers in prestigious scientific journals and specializes in researching nanomagnetic structures using transmission electron microscopy.
Apart from being a researcher, Leonardo is an educational consultant. He has worked with over 500 students, helping them score well in A levels, IB and PAT exams, and get accepted to prestigious universities, such as Oxford and Cambridge. He also advises university students on carrying out research for their Bachelor's, Master's or PhD theses.
Leonardo fell in love with S3 while he was a project leader in 2018. He returned in 2019 and 2020 as an organizer, and he currently supervises the activities of S3, especially in designing the program and projects. The main thing that Leonardo appreciates about S3 that it is a safe space for everyone to learn, grow and make friends no matter their background. He cherishes the fact that S3 is an interdisciplinary environment that encourages participants to both develop critical thinking and research skills as well as emotional intelligence.
Organizing team
Laura has always liked asking questions, whether it be about the mundane or the incomprehensible, and maintains that childlike curiosity to this day. She has accumulated a number of different interests, ranging from music to film to nonograms and, of course, science. Her love of science started as a fascination with all things cosmic, mostly due to her outright obsession with Carl Sagan. This passion grew and eventually branched out into other fields. Ultimately, however, her wish to study the universe itself prevailed, which is why she is currently pursuing a degree in physics at the Faculty of Science in Zagreb.
She came to the Summer School of Science as a participant at S3 in 2017 and returned in 2018. She absolutely loved her time there and was eager to come back in the future (in fact, she came back to visit the Summer School several times). She got the opportunity to contribute as a technical assistant in 2020 and is now coming back as an organizer for the third time.
Whenever she can, Laura enjoys playing guitar or listening to music, which she considers indispensable. She also spends her free time drawing, learning new things of various sorts (like piano, languages or info from the rarest of Wikipedia pages), reading more books at a time than she probably should, as well as walking, cycling or ice skating... basically, quite a few things, many of which she has a terrible habit of doing late into the night.
University of Zagreb, Croatia
University of Zagreb, Croatia
Luka has always been a curious and imaginative individual with a great desire to understand everything he encounters. At first, this mainly manifested through his passion for physics and mathematics, but as soon as he discovered computer science and programming, it became his number one preoccupation. He also shaped his education and career around it, enjoying not only learning about it but also teaching others everything he knows. His other interests include photography, specialty coffe and traffic management, which often perfectly fit as applications for his computer science and programming knowledge.
This is his fourth consequtive year organizing Summer School of Science, although he was never a participant. His science popularization background dates back to high school when he started giving lectures on satellite construction and rocket launching as a part of Croatia’s first satellite project (which just launched!). He also participates in development of science workshops for high-schoolers and organizes lectures on digital literacy at nursing homes.
Luka is currently working as a Data Scientist and BI Developer, volunteers in several Society for Outside the Box Education's projects and takes care of it's finances, which take up much of his daily schedule. However, when possible, he tries to relax by playing lacrosse or board games, or by going to escape rooms.
Organizing assistants
Petra is a computer vision researcher focused on understanding how to best train deep learning models and ensure these systems are safe, reliable, and effective in real-world applications.
Her path to science has been anything but linear. She initially chose IT as a pragmatic career choice, earning her master’s degree and working as a software developer. Her journey into computer vision research began by chance when a PhD position opened up at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb. It was the perfect opportunity to pursue something more meaningful and intellectually stimulating.
Petra has participated twice as a project leader at the S3 Summer School of Science, an experience she found quite inspiring. The energy and enthusiasm of the organizers and participants motivated her to contribute to the school’s continuation. She particularly values how it demystifies science, showing that it is accessible to anyone with curiosity and a willingness to learn.
In her free time, Petra enjoys music, pub quizzes, movies, British crime dramas, long walks, volleyball, and biking. A self-proclaimed serial hobbyist, she dabbles in yoga, painting, crocheting, language learning, and gardening. Since moving to Bielefeld, Germany, she spends her weekends exploring nearby cities and the Teutoburger Forest.
University of Bielefeld, Germany
Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, Croatia
There are not enough hours in a day for all the hobbies Karla would like to pursue. Her interests range from photography, ornament-making, and reading books to watching TV shows and volunteering. She has always been in awe of how things around her function, especially the human body and mind, which led her to choose medicine as her field of study. Karla is currently a fifth-year student at the Faculty of Medicine in Osijek and hopes to never lose her insatiable curiosity, the driving force behind everything she does.
Traveling has always been her passion - whether exploring new places with friends or embarking on solo adventures and student exchanges. These experiences motivate her to learn new languages, discover different music, and step outside her comfort zone. Although her life may seem chaotic at times, she is always “the mom” of the group, taking care of everyone and everything.
In the summer of 2023, she worked as a technical assistant at S3, and this year, she has the opportunity to contribute as part of the organizing team. The Summer School of Science is not her first experience with summer science camps - she loved participating as a child and is eager to help bring one to life.