The budding scientists manipulate and observe human skin cancer cells under sterile conditions. They study the effects of UV light on the genetic material of bacteria and learn how sunscreen works, evaluating the effectiveness of their homemade sunscreen using physics instruments such as a spectrometer. They discover the translational research needed to better understand this disease and tackle questions such as: How can we treat a particular cancer? What drugs might be effective? Why do some patients develop resistance to certain drugs? And how can we deal with this?

This Scienteens Academy is supported by the Fondation Loutsch-Weydert.

The participants (aged 15 and over) conduct various experiments related to the role of carbon dioxide and renewable energy technologies such as solar cells, discuss whether Luxembourg could generate enough energy to cover its need in a renewable way, and learn more about carbon footprint, mobility and ecosystem management. The programme includes scientific talks, experiments, lab visits and discussion with researchers and experts from the University of Luxembourg and Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST).

During five days, they get to try their hand at creative coding, neural networks and programming robots, with workshops such as “Art & AI”, “Are computers blind?” and “Think, talk and act like a robot”. They meet researchers from the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT) and the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine (FSTM) of the University of Luxembourg and learn more about their research work on autonomous robots and intelligent automation systems. They visit different research labs and experience first hand the environment in which researchers work. Each participant also works on their own short project, using the skills developed during the academy.

Participants analyse the growth behaviour and the enzyme activity of the bacterium Escherichia coli. They get to work in a lab with other students, to learn more about biological processes, develop mathematical models and run computer simulations. First, they collect data through practical work in the laboratory, using techniques such as cell culture, spectrophotometry and quantitative analysis of enzymatic reactions. Then, they learn to analyse the data they generated, to develop mathematical models and to run computer-based simulations. To conclude the week, the budding researchers learn to present the project and their results with scientific posters.