The 22nd edition of Science and Art on Vacation (CAF 2026) began this Wednesday (7) and has the participation of 124 high school students from 33 public schools in Campinas, Valinhos, Vinhedo, Jaguariúna, Limeira and Piracicaba. This Thursday (8) marks the beginning of the research projects, which will result in the presentation of a poster at the closing of the project, on January 28.
From January 7th to 28th, students will be involved in 31 research projects and will participate in 12 practical workshops in different areas of knowledge. “The projects are short research papers that will be presented by the young people in poster format at the program's closing. The workshops are more 'hands-on' activities: they participate in groups, go to laboratories, and are more dynamic activities,” explained the CAF supervisor, Mirian Marcançola.
The goal is to promote students' contact with academic life, the scientific method, and Unicamp. Furthermore, it aims to awaken young talents for scientific research and artistic activities by involving them from an early age in practical activities related to the current challenges of science.
“Students come to Unicamp to learn in a practical way. They visit laboratories and meet professors and undergraduate students, and then they can make a decision about what they like or dislike [regarding higher education courses]. Our expectation is that they will return as students of the University,” said Marcançola.
Learning math in a fun way
This Thursday (8), the groups (formed by four students each) met the supervising professors and monitors responsible for each research project. Professor Giuliano Zugliani coordinates, at the Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Scientific Computing (IMECC), the project “Mathematics Laboratory: building objects and games”.
“We believe that, with slightly more playful activities, they tend to see mathematical research in a different way, and in the way it really is,” said the professor, supported by the teaching assistants Isabelli Ferreira, Clayton Alves, and Maísa Richieri.
One of the proposals from the first day of the project was the presentation of the Four Color Theorem, which states that any map can be colored with four colors, so that no two bordering countries have the same color. "It's a very difficult theorem to prove, but that doesn't prevent it from being understood in an activity."
Guilherme de Freitas, Kemily Martins, and Beatriz Siqueira are students from institutions in Valinhos who chose to participate in this research project. Along with Ruan Araújo, a student from Campinas, they share an interest in deepening their mathematical knowledge.
Young people highlight the opportunity to use the holiday period productively. "I think it will be very beneficial, because we won't be using the same methods as at school," said Martins.
This is the second consecutive year that Freitas has participated in CAF. "Last year, I participated in the woodcut project, I thought it was really cool."
Siqueira said he has an affinity for the study of geometry. "I hope this project helps me understand other areas of mathematics and expand my knowledge," he said. This is also the expectation of Araújo, who has participated in the São Paulo State Mathematics Olympiad (OMASP).
Woodcut in practice
Another research project, coordinated by Professor Fernando Broggiato from the Institute of Arts (IA), is “Oops… What? Oh, wood engraving!”, focused on the practical learning of wood engraving (in which images are made on wood and printed on paper).
“It’s an introduction for the students to the IA, to the environment of a printmaking studio, and to artistic practice. It will be an activity in which they can create their own work,” said Broggiato, assisted by monitors Isabelle Germano, Vinicius Egidio, and Danilo Perillo.
The group for this project is composed of four students. Sabrina de Oliveira and Lívia Souza are in their second year of high school at schools in Campinas. According to Oliveira, who intends to study at IA in the future, the research project is an opportunity to discover new interests within the arts. "I found the project very interesting and different; I had never seen it anywhere else."
Souza said she has a special interest in the visual arts and is curious to learn more about woodcut printing. "I also really like the humanities, so I'm very interested in participating in the geopolitics and sociology workshops," she said.
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