Both camps share basic organizational features.

Practical information

Arrival & location

Summer School of Science is located in Požega, a town in the beautiful eastern part of Croatia - Slavonia. With the population of 30 000, the town has everything to support you daily needs - a post office, grocery shops, restaurant, cafes, fast internet connection, etc.

Požega is located 178 km from the city of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia, and 100 km from Osijek, the biggest city in Slavonia. It is well connected by bus lines and highway (nearest exits are Nova Gradiška, Lužani and Slavonski Brod) to all major cities in Croatia. If you are going by train, you need to change train in Nova Gradiška or Batrina (you can also take a bus from Nova Gradiška). For those who wish to fly, the closest airports are in Zagreb and Osijek.

Links:

• Croatian Railways Timetable (for international trains to Croatia check this page)
• Bus Station Zagreb
• Airports in Zagreb and Osijek
• Croatian National Tourist Board

Food & accommodation

This year, we are looking to improve the quality of the food and accommodation offered at the School. We will publish the details soon.

What to bring

Since the School takes time in the middle of summer, it is often quite warm in Požega (it can get up to 40 °C). So pack light clothes (T-shirts, shorts etc). In case of bad weather, or possible work during the night, it might be good to have some warm clothes with you as well. Sneakers and sunscreen are good to take for the field trip. Mosquito repellent might come handy as well. Clean sheets are provided, but you should bring your own towels. Washing machines will not be available.

Some participants bring their own calculators, digital cameras and laptops, but they are not required, and will be provided if needed. However, we would recommend that you bring your own laptop if you would prefer to work on it and more easily continue after the School is over. Some participants bring their musical instruments to make a nice atmosphere during the leisure time.

Organizers and present members of the Organizing Committee have experience in working with high-school students and will make every effort to meet the needs of participants. The School organizers will ensure participants' safety and well-being within the maximum of their possibilities. The necessary precaution measures will be undertaken in order to prevent any accidents and injuries. In case of distress or emergency organizers will ensure a fast transport to Požega Health Center and Hospital where participants will be provided with medical care. It should be noted that all the participants are insured while staying at the Summer School of Science with an insurance policy.

Day-to-day activities

Time to learn something new

Our daily lives at school are a lot of fun, if you like science. It can also be quite useful, if you plan to study science at the university. You usually learn basic concepts of science in the regular school - about acids in chemistry, about electricity in physics or about genes in biology. This is certainly important for your education, but you are missing a critical part - the scientific method.

How do we ask questions about the phenomena in nature? How do we answer them? And how can you be sure about what you've found? The Summer School of Science is the place to learn all about it. Since we believe that the best way to learn is by example and practice, we'll put you in the position of being a scientist. You will work on a very specific topic with a project leader and a team of few other participants. Together, you will specify the problem, design the experiment and analyze the results to answer one of the interesting questions in science.

Projects

You might be wondering what these projects are and how it actually all looks like. Every year before the applications open, we present a short description of the available projects. This usually contains information about the topic itself and gives you a snapshot of what techniques will you use there.

You will get more information on your first day at the School, when every project leader gives a short talk explaining what their project is all about and what is expected from you. Once everyone presents their projects, you will have to rate your interest in every single project, which will allow your organizers to assign you appropriately to one of them. There is a possibility that you won't get your top-rated project due to high demand, or not stating your interests well enough during your interview. However, keep in mind that whatever you get assigned to, you will definitely learn a lot from and expand your views of the science involved. As a matter of fact, our project leaders argue every year that they would like to have the opportunity to learn something from other areas of science, since it’s all very interesting.

Daily life

What you are surely interested in is what a normal day at the School looks like. In short, it looks like a regular day in the life of a scientist. You will work for approximately 6 hours each day, with some breaks in between. Some days, the breaks might be longer, some days they might be shorter, depending on the workload in your particular project. Some days you will have to prepare a short presentation, while other times you might solve some equations or perform some experiments. It is a highly dynamic environment where one doesn’t have a fixed schedule. So you can expect everything

Official language

English is practically the official language of science. Most scientific literature is written in English, and most of the communication at conferences or summer camps happens in English, too. If you choose to study chemistry, biology or physics you will have to use textbooks written in English very early on. So, this is a good way to start.

Think that your English is not good enough? If you can express yourself, communicate and share your ideas - it is enough! And another thing, keep in mind that this is an international school. There might be people coming from Spain, Germany, Hungary… And everyone wants to talk to each other! Doesn’t matter where you come from, it is polite to talk in the language everyone understands. You might be surprised how many new words you might learn, or new things about your new friends.