The “ALFA” Camp Brings Together the Most Talented Students
Ethical hacking, quantum chemistry and quantum computers were just some of the topics explored by participants of the two-week “ALFA” summer camp. This year, the camp brought together 30 talented 10th- and 11th-grade students at Zemgale Secondary School in Slampe. All of them had won prizes at national-level biology, mathematics, chemistry, physics or programming Olympiads or in scientific research competitions. Participation in the camp is a special reward for the students’ achievements, and due to the limited number of places, priority is given to the highest-performing students.
Taking part in the camp is not merely a symbolic reward for past achievements – the students were offered an intensive two-week educational programme. Each day, they worked with a different scientist, university lecturer or industry professional. This year’s lecturers included cybersecurity expert Kirils Solovjovs, chemistry professor Agris Bērziņš, as well as professors popular among students – physicist Vjačeslavs Kaščejevs and computer scientist Andris Ambainis.
“Leading specialists from the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University and other institutions came to meet the young people at the camp. We wanted to broaden the participants’ horizons and help them see how they could use their abilities and knowledge in the future. Here they can meet their future lecturers and perhaps even their future employers,” says camp director Virgīnija Vītola.
After the intensive academic programme, the evenings continued with shared activities. The young people learned competitive sudoku under the guidance of a member of the Latvian national team, prepared performances for the talent show, took part in games and enjoyed other activities that helped them unwind after academically demanding days, get to know one another better and become a team.
This year, “ALFA” was held for the 59th time. Over the years, its locations, number of participants, lecturers and sources of funding have changed, but its core idea has remained the same – to bring together talented young people with a deep interest in the exact sciences and help them identify opportunities for further growth.
According to the camp director, its unique legacy is reflected in the fact that many of today’s lecturers were once “ALFA” participants themselves. They now return as established scientists, lecturers and industry professionals to share their experience and knowledge with the next generation of young talent.
“You could say that ‘ALFA’ is something of a secret club – even many years later, its former participants recognise one another and know that they share something in common. Many of the lecturers who come to lead sessions today were once participants in the camp themselves,” V. Vītola reveals.
No less important than meeting industry professionals is the opportunity to meet like-minded peers. At school, a young person with a particularly strong interest in physics, mathematics, chemistry or programming may not always have many people who share the same passion. “ALFA”, by contrast, brings together students with similar interests, achievements and a desire to explore complex subjects.
Virgīnija Vītola herself is a leading researcher at the Laboratory of Optical Materials at the Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia, where she studies various luminescent, or light-emitting, materials. Alongside her scientific work, she teaches physics and electronics at RTU Engineering High School and describes working with young people as her passion. Her experience in both science and education also helps her develop the camp programme and engage leading professionals from different fields.
In her view, young people’s interest in STEM fields has grown in recent years, and there are now more opportunities to develop their abilities, including schools for young physicists and chemists, robotics classes and other free educational activities. However, the teacher’s ability to make science relatable, understandable and connected to real life remains crucial.
“The best way to inspire young people is to involve them and show that physics, mathematics and science are not something distant and incomprehensible. It is equally important to help them see what paths they can take with this knowledge after school and university. That is why teachers who are also active in science or industry are so valuable – they can share their knowledge from personal experience,” V. Vītola emphasises.
The experience of this year’s camp participant Gustavs Rietums also demonstrates how “ALFA” can broaden young people’s horizons and help them find like-minded peers. He has just completed the 10th grade at RTU Engineering High School and earned his place at “ALFA” by winning first place in the national programming Olympiad. Gustavs had already heard about the camp from former participants and had set himself the goal of taking part.
“I knew that this camp existed – I had heard that it was a very valuable and exciting experience, so I wanted to come here. I’m very happy that I managed to do it,” says Gustavs.
The young man mainly develops his programming skills through self-study and enjoys taking part in competitive programming contests, where mathematical problems have to be solved using programming. Outside the exact sciences, Gustavs also enjoys reading, drawing and other forms of creative expression.
He says that after secondary school he would most likely like to study computer science, although he is also considering physics and mathematics.
“The information technology field is changing very rapidly – artificial intelligence and other technologies are developing so quickly that it is difficult to plan everything precisely far into the future. I know that I want to work in this field, but for now I am still considering different options, both in terms of where to study and which particular specialisation to choose,” he says.
Alongside the opportunity to explore different STEM fields, which can help students choose their future career path, and meet leading specialists, Gustavs also highly values the new friendships he has made with his peers: “This is a great place to meet like-minded people. I’ve met many young people here who are really interesting to talk to because we have similar interests and many topics in common. Especially in summer, when there is no school, it’s really great to be part of a group of people who share your interests,” Gustavs concludes.
Participation in the camp was organised as part of ESF+ project No. 4.2.2.3/1/24/I/001 “Development of a Professional Support System for Teachers”, implemented by the State Education Development Agency.
This story was created with support from EU funds.
