WebValley 2017 – Send your Application

An opportunity that girls and boys attending the fourth year of high school cannot miss. By May 31, they can send their applications to participate in “WebValley 2017”, the summer school on “data science” that since 2001, that Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Trento (Italy) has dedicated to young people between 17 and 19 years to introduce them to interdisciplinary research.

This year’s edition will be held in Val di Non (Trentino – Italy), from June 18 to July 8 and will be open to international students as well. It is therefore required that candidates have a good proficiency in English. Participants will work alongside researchers with the aim of creating a new artificial intelligence solution to predict the ripeness and quality of fruit.

The system will also be developed using a small size drone and smart technologies (IOT systems, cloud computing on GPU, 3D printing), combined with research in biology and environmental health.

The seats will be 20 and the young participants will be selected among excellent Italian and international students, including the finalists in the Intel ISEF Award, the world convention for young scientist competitions. Fondazione Bruno Kessler offers up to 10 scholarships to Italian students attending the 4th year of high school, part of which are intended for students of the Trento Province. The scholarships cover all costs of special lab activities, meals, lodging, transportation, and sports and social activities. Students who have successfully completed the project will receive a valid certification for college credit.

Applications submitted will be reviewed by a panel of experts, which will prepare a merit list based on the information received. The selection criteria include a balanced gender participation. The organizers reserve the right to interview the candidates before the selection in the first week of June. Interviews will take place via Skype for students who do not reside near Trento.

Students must send their applications no later than May 31 online at http://webvalley.fbk.eu, following the general and the detailed instructions (application How-To).

The WebValley formula provides for the selection of a small village of one of the Trentino valleys in where laboratory activities are conducted, to show that with a good motivation and Internet resources, research can can be done even in places that seem remote. Another key feature of WebValley is that it is not school but a real research experience that boys and girls conduct together with scientists. The initiative, started in 2001, is now in its seventeenth edition and, in total, participants have been over 300. Some students of the previous editions have since become international researchers, including at FBK, or have created start- ups.

–           Details on the WebValley initiative, and on the 2017 edition scientific program can be viewed at http://webvalley.fbk.eu.