Annual scientific internships for talented high school students take place in top institutes of the Czech Academy of Sciences under the direct guidance of scientists. Start your scientific career with us.
Researchers from the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences regularly announce Open Science internships. They thus open access to scientific work for talented students already during their high school studies.
Phase transitions of attractive liquid crystals, nanodiamonds, experimental astroparticle physics or data processing from the LHC accelerator. This is just a small tasting of themes that students focus on with us at present.
The internship lasts for 12 months. How much time your research actually takes depends on the agreement with the supervisor but be ready for at least eight hours per month. For continuous checks of the procedure, a Diary is used on the basis of which you can also apply travel allowance - Open Science not only for those living in Prague! In the end, you will experience what it is like to present the results of research at the Student Scientific Conference. If there are more students in one internship, they present as a team.
Why apply for an internship? An internship leader Mgr. Hynek Němec, Ph.D. is sharing his thoughts: "My point of view of an internship leader is not unbiased; I myself underwent an internship similar to today's Open Science more than a quarter of a century ago at the FZU. Great motivation is the opportunity to get acquainted with top science, come into contact with unique devices, and participate in interesting calculations. In addition to his/her professional growth, the trainee will become acquainted with general scientific research, naturally improve his/her critical thinking, or acquire a large number of "small" practical skills. The work on the final thesis and presentation teaches the trainee to present and sell their results. Last but not least, the trainee gets into a team in which the interest in understanding the basic phenomena and processes of this world is something normal."
Students who have decided to do an internship at the Institute of Physics rank high in the final scientific conference: in 2019, 1st place was co-taken by Petr Kahan with the project Nanoworld - how to display atoms and study their magnetic properties? (supervisor Ing. Aleš Cáhlík), 2nd place was taken by Matěj Havelka with the project Photodetectors for Astroparticle Physics (supervisor RNDr. Petr Tobiška, Ph.D.) and 3rd place by Šimon Sukup with internship Study of martensitic transformation and phase interfaces using optical and electron microscopy (supervisor Mgr. Ing. Oleg Heczko, Ph.D.). In 2020, Marek Hanzl took 2nd place in the conference thanks to the project of Simulations of electromagnetic wave propagation in inhomogeneous structures (supervisor Mgr. Hynek Němec, Ph.D.) and Jakub Zeman took 3rd place with the internship Thermal plasma processing of materials.
Marek Hanzl, a successful Open Science participant, says: "Through Open Science I was given an opportunity that I would not otherwise have a chance to get. Already during my studies at grammar school, I was able to participate in current research at the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. I have learned to work systematically, to approach my duties responsibly or to create models in simulation programs, which I will be happy to use in my subsequent education. Thanks to the programme, I could get to know a number of great people, make new friends and get familiar with the university environment. I am very grateful for this experience."
Are you interested in Open Science? Don’t forget to look at the web site at the beginning of the school year. You will find there also all the important information to apply. You will need to send a resume, cover letter and references. The decision is then up to the supervisor. We keep our fingers crossed for you and look forward to working with you!
