Explore the fascinating topics covered in our latest edition.
We will study the underbelly of nervous systems: from worms and roaches to humans. Using the electric nature of nerve impulses we will detect muscles in action and use them to control devices and each other.
"Mitochondria are the powerhouse of a cell" - we all know this notorious expression from school, but what does it actually mean? In this semilab, we will uncover the mysteries of bioenergetics.
We will explore the neural mechanisms of fear, from animal models to human emotions. Drawing on my research with rats, we'll investigate how the brain processes threats and how this impacts behavior.
Did you know that the first electric current was generated through chemical reactions? In this SemiLab, we'll explore the relationship between electricity and matter.
Have you ever wondered why your favorite foods are so beautifully colored? Join us for an interesting semi-lab where science and color mix!
We will learn how to prepare, analyze, and characterize some interesting organic compounds (for example, the substances with fruit aroma, dyes, soap, or medications).
What is fire? What components are necessary for something to burn? Can things burn without oxygen? In water? This semilab will help us discover the chemistry behind the fiery phenomenon.
Can we trust AI systems in the real-world? Should human involvement remain? This semi-lab will not give any answers to moral questions; that is left for each to decide. Rather, we will learn how we got here.
In today's world, data is being generated faster than we can analyze it. In this seminar, we'll dive into real cell biology data from my lab.
Have you ever wondered how languages shape our understanding of computation? In this semilab, students will explore the intersection of language and computation through the lens of computer theory.
This hands-on course explores the world of virtualization, teaching you how to create, manage, and optimize virtual machines (VMs).
In this semilab, we'll blend technologies to create something new and exciting out of thin air. We'll dive into the world of electronic devices, and communication between them.
In this Robotics-101 course, students will learn how to build their own robot, from hardware to software. Assuming no prior knowledge, participants will be introduced to the exciting theory and practice of electronics, C++-programming, and algorithms.
They say that the flap of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane on the other side of the world. This "butterfly effect" references the fact that weather patters are an example of a chaotic system.
In this course we will talk about different types of symmetry and the mathematical language for describing them - language of group theory.
This is a short course in Enumerative Combinatorics focusing on permutations. We will explore essential counting techniques, aiming to spark students' interest.
In this short course we will study a clear framework for mathematical modeling of biological systems, developing classic models in population dynamics, ecology, evolution and epidemiology.
If mathematics is a language for understanding the world, then category theory is a language for understanding mathematics.
Neural networks are quite ubiquitous in data science and AI nowadays. Often seen as "black box" models, how and why do they work? We are going to see the basics of the building blocks of this tool.
This course aims to introduce fundamental concepts of entropy and complexity from thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and apply them to data analysis of neuronal electric activity.
Why does my faucet keep dripping? Why can bugs walk on water? Why can't I mix cocoa powder and cold milk? Why are bubbles spherical? You may have heard of surface tension before, but you may not know how ubiquitous it is.
Laser is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It was first demonstrated experimentally in 1960, and today, lasers are ubiquitous in our society.
What makes a gel jelly? Can you really mix oil and water? How do you grill the perfect steak? Science holds the answers! In this course, you'll discover how understanding physics, chemistry, and biology can help you become a master chef.
Light plays a fundamental role in our lives in numerous ways, from being the primary source of energy that sustains life, to driving some of the most significant scientific and technological advancements in understanding nature.
This talk will cover the basics of probability theory, how to apply Bayes' rule to real-life situations, and how to spot a conspiracy theory from a mile away.
This lecture introduces the concept of inverse problems, where the aim is to infer causes from observed effects—a challenge often encountered in fields such as finance, biology, and engineering.
We all know that where there are oxygen and food - there should be life. However, most organisms have a limited lifespan. How do our cells use oxygen and nutrients, and how do we age?
First use of fossil fuels dates back 4000 years. Oil refinery is a 200-year-old business. How do we accelerate the clean energy industry to reach net-zero in just a few decades?
Have you ever imagined that we could go beyond light sabers lore, and that light could be used to trap microscopic particles and exert force on them?
The theorems of mathematics tell beautiful stories that certain assumptions lead to far-reaching consequences, backed by the cold, hard logical reasoning known as the proof. I invite you to think about these stories.
This sounds like you are not popular, but it is only graph theory. I will show that the "average" number of friends of your friends is always larger than the "average" number of friends unless everybody has the same number of friends.
The question of why learn mathematics often arises, especially when it's taught abstractly. Yet, without math, breakthroughs like cell phones, space exploration, gene sequencing, and medical imaging wouldn't be possible.
Al and Betsy own two adjacent plots of land. Al is a rancher and Betsy plants corn. But sometimes Al's cattle wander into Betsy's farm and destroy some of the corn! How much should Al pay Betsy for the destruction?
Imagine a drunken sailor wandering the streets of Manhattan, taking random turns at each corner. Little does he know that his aimless "random walk" is among the most important concepts in modern science.
Who remembers the classic Pac-Man game? And who would have thought that there are deep mathematical ideas hidden behind it? Let's dive into what math can teach us about how surfaces fit into our three-dimensional space.
If we look at sequences of digits, most people would agree that some are not random. But what exactly does the word "random" mean? Can you give a definition of a random sequence?
Pollution is responsible for many diseases that are called "common", like cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and others. Mitochondria, an organelle known for producing of ATP (energy), is involved in all these pathologies. How could this be related?
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a cautionary tale about the ethical challenges in scientific research, but have we learned anything from Victor Frankenstein's tragedy?
The nature of light has been debated for centuries, and today we understand that light exhibits dual behavior—as both a wave and a particle.
The origin of life remains one of the most puzzling mysteries, and many theories have been proposed to explain it. In this lecture, I will present a new hypothesis that explains how the RNA replication mechanism arose on the primordial Earth.
Hex is a strategy game independently invented by two mathematicians: Piet Hein and John Nash. We will explore this game in detail, demonstrate the impossibility of a draw (Nash's Theorem) and show how to prove Brower's Fixed Point Theorem from it.
Some things in mathematics can be pretty weird. Here we are going to discuss how butterflies are linked to fractals and what chaos has to do with them.
3D printing houses using concrete is becoming more popular around the world. But does this mean we could build large structures with the push of a button in the future?
Why are social media apps so addictive? How do they shape the way you think and feel? In this interactive session, we will dive into the hidden psychological forces behind social media platforms.
This talk aims to describe the activities of Cepid-CeMEAI (Center for Applied Mathematical Sciences in Industry). The main goal of CeMEAI is to promote the use of mathematical sciences as an industrial resource.
Have you ever wondered how your cells know what kind of cell to be—like a brain cell or a skin cell—even though they all have the same DNA?
The business landscape is undergoing a rapid and relentless transformation, driven largely by technological advancements. This presentation delves into how STEM not only hones specific skills inherent to its disciplines but also cultivates abilities that are crucial for thriving in this fast-paced business era.
Ever wondered what's really going on inside ChatGPT's "brain"? In this semilab, we'll peek under the hood of large language model and break down what makes them tick.
Fractals are beautiful, intricate, self-similar shapes. They open a new perspective on the world around us, beyond straight lines, triangles, and circles. In this workshop, you can design one of your own.
Have you ever wondered how to navigate impossibly large solution spaces? We'll explore and apply techniques like Greedy Algorithms, Genetic Algorithms, the Metropolis Algorithm, and the Markov Chain Random Walk.
Pathological functions run counter-examples to some intuitions. Poincaré called these functions as "monsters". In the workshop, each student subgroup will represent one of these functions.
Consider an equilateral triangle inscribed in a circle. Suppose a chord of the circle is chosen at random. What is the probability that the chord is longer than a side of the triangle? If you guess 1/2, 1/3, or 1/4, you are right. Wait, what?
While mastering math, science, and technology is crucial for high school students interested in STEM fields, leadership skills are just as important for future success.
This workshop is designed to help you explore the many career opportunities in STEM fields and learn how to choose the right major that aligns with your interests and future goals.
Do you dream of changing the world? In this workshop, you'll team up with others to create a business idea that tackles a real environmental issue.
Imagine a world where AI makes life-changing decisions—should it be trusted? In this exciting workshop, you'll move through different tables to tackle real ethical dilemmas of AI.
Ready to unlock your minds and bodies? The Heart Math Institutes have been studying the impact of the synchronization of the magnetic field of the heart with that of the brain.
I was an Intensivist at the ICU at Hospital Federal da Lagoa-RJ for more than 25 years. With many experiences and stories to share. Everything that you would like to ask but never had the opportunity. Let's talk?
Come to learn glass blowing skill and create an amazing piece of art!
This workshop explores the key differences in academic career pathways in biological sciences between the USA and UK, with a focus on obtaining a PhD, post doctoral studies, and securing research grants.
Knowing your blood type is essential for medicine, genetics, and transfusions! Learn how blood types are determined, why they matter, and what yours is! You will be using your own blood for this workshop, so come prepared to donate!
In this workshop we will look at how the aminoacids, the basic components of proteins, give them shape and function. We will explore proteins in data bases and look at them through PyMol.
In this workshop we will build our own protein 3D model and explore how this translates to real proteins and compare to the PyMol view!
Ready to make tough decisions? In this workshop, you'll step into the role of a "neuroethics council" and debate real-world scenarios where cutting-edge neurotech meets ethics.
Explore, in a simple way, the history and culture of Brazilian origins and roots.
Where do they live? What do they eat? How do they reproduce? These are just a few of the questions we'll answer in this fishy (yet not 'fishy') workshop.
Dive into the world of robotics with ROS, the Robot Operating System! How do robots "listen" and "talk"? How do they "see"? How can they interact?
GeoGuessr is a popular browser game where you are given a random location in Google Maps, and you need figure out where you are in the world. In this workshop, we will play some GeoGuessr and learn how to guess where you are.
What is chaos and how can it appear in nature? In this workshop we will discuss how a simple mathematical model for population dynamics may lead to chaotic behavior and fractal properties.
We all have something in common: we have brains, and we all need sleep! But have you ever stopped to wonder why? In this workshop, we'll explore the fascinating stages of sleep and uncover the mysteries of dreaming.
Lets try to defy equilibrium thermodynamics and produce chemical oscillators.
When you see an ambiguous image like the Necker cube, the external stimulus remains constant, but your perception changes unpredictably. Could we measure the brain's electrical signals to "read" your thoughts?
Discover how to make delicious chocolate cookies!
Early scientists had to go through massive amounts of hand-calculations to predict the position of stars... or did they? In this workshop, we explore how the invention of the logarithm allowed calculations to be made much, much faster.
Most STEM-minded students despise English lectures, dreading their never-ending set of arbitrary rules. In this hands-on workshop, we will learn how linguistics and context-free grammars can make studying languages feel like science.
AI is everywhere on the news, but do YOU know what an AI is? In this workshop, you will learn how a neural network works, from design to training, all details included.
During the last decades, computers have gotten more and more performant at their tasks. As it turns out, they are not only processing things faster, but also in a smarter and more efficient way.
We know the sun is made of hydrogen and helium, but how was this discovered? And how do astronomers discover the composition of most of objects in the sky? The answer is: Through spectroscopes.
In this workshop, we aim to demonstrate the basic rules and strategies of the board game Hex and organize a mini-tournament of this game among the participants.
You certainly have photos of the sky on your phone, with different types of clouds constituting a beautiful landscape. But what are clouds? Let's understand more about the Science of Meteorology and look at a cloud.
Some objects become famous out of the blue, like the amigurumis. We will make an easy model to be a gift for you or for someone else. That's just a beginning for new challenges in this art.
Have you ever wanted to test your lab instincts? Look no further than Sigma ETAPA's very own lab olympics! See how well you know your way around basic lab equipment and maybe even win a prize!
Students will be divided into teams and challenged to rebuild Conway's game of life in Python. Each team will develop part of the code, after which we should have a working game!
The pigeonhole principle is a very simple concept in mathematics. In this workshop, we're gonna learn how this basic idea can be used in clever ways to solve complex problems.
In this workshop you will learn how to cook a perfect french omelette and at the end you will be able to create your own dish with various toppings (smoked salmon, parsley, etc).
Are you a "Flat Universer"? What does it mean for the Universe to be flat? In this workshop, we'll explore the geometry of spacetime and dive into the concept of curvature.
Have you ever wondered why some cities have really BAD subway system and some of them have really good ones? In this workshop you will learn how to plan a perfect subway system.
Hex is a very simple game played on an 11x11 hexagonal grid. The two players compete to see who can build a bridge across first. There must be exactly one winner, which means defence is offence!
Regeneration is one of biology's greatest mysteries. Planarians, remarkable flatworms, can regrow entire body parts, a feat that has fascinated scientists for centuries. How do they do it, and why can't humans?
Take your art skills to the new level of scientific painting with luminescent paints, or take your physics knowledge of luminescents to the new artistic levels.
This workshop will show you a series of mathematical tricks and reveal the secrets behind them. From predicting numbers to "reading your mind" with modular arithmetic, you'll learn how these tricks work.
In this workshop, we will travel back to the year 1879, where we will work together to invent and build the first electric light. Then, we will return to modern times to analyze and understand how this light works.
This workshop will be about microphones, where the goal will be to build and understand how a microphone works using simple materials, and then test it.
In this workshop, you will act as an investor making investments to see if you can earn money in the stock market.
Create and test your puzzles on your fellow campers. Can you come up with the best strategy? Participants will be introduced to the conventions of "cryptic" clue construction and approaches to puzzle design.
Have you ever wonder how to make the perfect pizza? Let's find out together! From measuring ingredients to shaping and baking, you'll leave with a deeper understanding of food science—and a delicious snack!
Learn the fundamentals of assembling a computer from scratch in this hands-on workshop. We'll guide you through selecting components, installing parts, and getting your system up and running.
Everybody knows juggling is fun, but did you know it's also full of mathematics? We will learn about the history, numbers and symmetries of juggling patterns!
Learn the principles of Surgery and compete for a prize!
Practice how to suture skin wounds and compete for a prize!
Explore the Thoracic Cavity and learn how to perform a heart and lung transplant.
As science thrives, it needs responsibility for its debating. Let's gather in a simulation of the International Atomic Energy Agency and discuss how science can be fostered in a field living on a threshold between peace and war.
As modern science advances, the tools of analytical chemistry play a critical role in solving mysteries with real-world implications. Let's explore how fundamental knowledge of chemistry can be the key to unraveling a mystery.
In this workshop you will learn how to interpret animal shapes, structures, and proportions to draw realistic anatomies with more confidence.
Explore creative strategies to give life to fantastic beings full of personality and understand the principles of character design.
We will talk about alchemical history of phosphorus and its journey to becoming a cornerstone of cellular bioenergetics. We will explore the chemical and bioenergetic properties of adenosine triphosphate (ATP).
Join this workshop to discover the essentials of grid world and reinforcement learning. Watch an intelligent matchbox learn to master tic-tac-toe. Can you beat this matchbox?
Interested in Treasure hunt? Let's do it using some ancient ciphers. In this workshop, you will learn about some ancient ciphers and an introduction to modular arithmetic.
Who remembers the classic Pac-Man game? And who would have thought that there are deep mathematical ideas hidden behind it? Let's dive into what math can teach us about how surfaces fit into our three-dimensional space.