The online St Anne’s College Summer School will allow students to study one of five topics in depth over 3 weeks of lectures, small group activities, and independent study. Each will explore a global challenge, and how leading research teams are advancing the fundamental science behind it. A typical week will include 2 lectures by senior Oxford researchers in a typical university format, an independent activity involving literature research or problem set, and 2 hours of practical work and demonstrations, with time to discuss and debate ideas in Oxford style tutorials led by active researchers.

In addition, there will be a lecture each week for everyone about learning and research at Oxford and other research-intensive universities.

Individual Subjects Offered:

• Robotics and AI (Led by Professor Digby Chappell, Dept. Engineering, Oxford): This module will focus on robotics and machine learning, starting with modelling the motion of robots in week one, then controlling robots in week two, and finally enabling robots to learn to control themselves in week three. Students will perform a mixture of hands-on mathematics and coding challenges, complemented by written exercises to inspect robotics as a field of study. This module is best suited to students with an interest/background in studying engineering, computer science, and mathematics.

• Stem cells and Neuroscience (Led by Professor Francis Szele, Dept. Physiology, Anatomy, and Genetics, Oxford): This series will focus on a number of aspects of brain anatomy function and repair. We will first explore the major subdivisions of the human brain. We will next explore the different types of cells living in the brain. Neurons are the functional workhorses of the brain, and we will describe their varieties and major functions. Next, we will discuss development of the brain and disorders of the brain. Our brains are regulated by many different classes of molecules within the cells and outside of the cells. Next, we will home in on brain stem cells. These cells can be produced in the lab and then used fro brain repair. There will be several points of discussion embedded within the lectures. This module is best suited to students with a background in science.

• Climate change – lessons from the geological past, solutions for the future? (Led by Professor Stuart Robinson, Dept. Earth Sciences, Oxford and Professor Don Porcelli, Dept. Earth Sciences, Oxford) This module will focus on how the geological record of past climate change can be used to understand, predict and address current and future climate change. The course will provide an overview of fundamental aspects of the climate system, an introduction to palaeoclimatology and examples of how understanding Earth’s natural processes might be used to mitigate carbon emissions. Students will perform a mixture of exercises to further their understanding and to gain exposure to research techniques. This module is best suited to students with a broad scientific background (e.g. chemistry, physics and/or biology) and an interest in earth and environmental sciences.

• From atomic structure to the properties of matter (Led by  Professor Volker Derringer, Dept Chemistry, Oxford) This module will explore the connections between the microscopic (atomic-scale) structure of materials and their macroscopic properties. Students will learn about experimental and computational techniques that form the basis for our present understanding of materials structures: from the origin of atoms and foundational X-ray diffraction experiments to emerging AI-for-science approaches. Practical exercises will include computer simulations of disordered structures and ways to analyse them using Python code, as well as training in visualising and communicating scientific findings. An outlook will be given on the role that materials chemistry plays for the development of next-generation technologies. This module is best suited to students with an interest in studying chemistry, materials science, earth sciences, or related disciplines. You can find further detail here.

•  Biomedical Science: From Cells to Systems (Led by Professor Helen Christian, Dept. Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, Oxford) This module explores how the human body functions across multiple levels, from cells and tissues to complex signalling systems. Students will investigate how neurons communicate, how hormones regulate the body, and how drugs can modify these processes to treat disease. By the end of the course, students will learn about key signalling mechanisms in the nervous and endocrine systems, how cells and tissues contribute to organ function, how drugs modify biological systems to treat disease, andapplying scientific reasoning to experimental and clinical problems.

General lectures will be given by Professor Don Porcelli, Dept. Earth Sciences, Oxford, and will explore how to go from studying at a school to studying at a major UK or US research University.