This year, nearly 30 UWC Adriatic students took part in summer internships at five of Trieste’s renowned research institutions — a remarkable expansion from the pilot edition launched in 2024, which successfully laid the groundwork for this initiative. Thanks to the endeavours of our Chemistry teacher and Outreach Coordinator, Dimitrina Trendafilova (known as Dima), the programme has become a unique and impactful opportunity not commonly available to high school students.
Over the course of two to three weeks, at the beginning of the summer break, these students immersed themselves in real-world research environments, contributing to projects ranging from language modelling and neuroscience to mobile app development and environmental studies. Partner institutions included SISSA (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati), ICTP (Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics), Elettra Sincrotrone, the Burlo Garofalo pediatric hospital in Trieste and the Trieste Observatory– all of which are leaders in their fields.
Vicente, from Angola, who interned at the ICTP SciFabLab, worked on developing a new type of hearing aid amplifier capable of delivering only the desidered speech signal, filtering out interfering sounds — a project that challenged him to apply both theoretical knowledge and creative thinking:
Milca, from Mexico, interned at Elettra Sincrotrone’s Biolab, where she explored the photoelectric effect in complex materials using lasers and time-resolved spectroscopies:
Milca worked with topological complex metals in ultrafast laser experiments, connecting her knowledge of physics and chemistry in a hands-on lab setting. “This experience has been enriching,” she wrote, highlighting how the lab environment, interactions with her mentor, and exposure to real research deepened her understanding of science — and her desire to pursue it.
Anastasija, from Serbia, developed several innovative apps using MIT App Inventor at ICTP. She found the experience both challenging and inspiring:
Guillhem, from France, who interned at SISSA to study the impact of data centres on the local biodiversity thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which has resulted in making him want to “work as an environmental engineer or at least in an environmental area with the purpose of having a positive impact on our daily life.”
Reflecting on the evolution of the programme, our chemistry teacher Dima shared:
Not just research work was involved, however. Zalan, from Hungary, who is keen on becoming a doctor, had the opportunity to shadow the head of the Rare Diseases Department at the local pediatric hospital. Burlo Garofalo. “Spending so many days fully immersed in the life of the hospital was extremely interesting and instructive. It was also enriching from a human point of view. I was able to see how someone in that role is able to set aside personal challenges in order to provide the very best care to her patients.”
As the programme continues to grow, it is becoming a cornerstone of UWC Adriatic’s commitment to experiential learning — bridging science education, global engagement, and local partnerships in powerful and practical ways.
