What Makes a Summer School at the Faculty of Science Worth a Second Visit?
Some students leave summer school with new knowledge, new friends and memories of a month abroad. Christian, a computer science student at the University of Bradford, left his first summer school at the Faculty of Science University of Hradec Králové, knowing he wanted to come back. A year later, he did.
Christian first heard about the summer school through an advertisement at his home university. He had been looking for opportunities to study abroad, and the Mathematical Physics programme immediately caught his attention. It offered a chance to explore a subject he was interested in, prepare for possible future research and experience Czech language and culture.
His particular interest is scientific computing, which involves building mathematical models and writing simulations for problems in mathematics, physics and engineering. Studying mathematical physics would help him explore ideas that could eventually find their way into code. He was also considering a PhD, so the opportunity to learn from researchers working in the field appealed to him.
His first visit in 2025 gave him plenty of reasons to return. He remembers not only what he learned, but also the people he met and the support he received from the organising team.
I just had such an amazing time last year.
In 2026, the Faculty of Science welcomed students from different countries for another month of summer schools, held from 12 July to 12 August. Participants could choose between three specialist programmes in Mathematical Physics, Applied Biology and Toxicology. For Christian, returning to Mathematical Physics meant building on what he had learned the previous year while discovering entirely new ideas.
Among the subjects he recalls is homogenisation theory, which he illustrates with the problem of modelling how heat travels through a metal plate or a steel beam. Other lectures explored black holes. He was particularly interested in how different mathematical approaches could offer new perspectives on a problem, even when the underlying theory was familiar.
“I’ve learned something completely new,” he says.
His interest in the lectures continued well beyond the classroom. Christian often spent his evenings typing up notes and returning to the day's ideas, drawn to material he described as “detailed, technical, memorable.”
While Christian spent his days exploring mathematical physics, other participants were discovering different areas of science. Students in Applied Biology investigated microorganisms, biodiversity and local ecosystems through laboratory work and field research. Those in Toxicology focused on toxic substances and methods of analysis, with practical sessions including the isolation and detection of caffeine.
The summer school also brought everyone together outside the classroom. Alongside Czech language and culture activities, participants explored the region through four organised trips to Dvůr Králové Zoo, the Observatory and Planetarium in Hradec Králové, the Automatic Mills in Pardubice and Kuks.
Christian joined all four trips. He particularly enjoyed the zoo, while the Automatic Mills offered an opportunity to learn more about Czech cultural heritage. He also fondly remembers the picnic, where the relaxed atmosphere made it easier to strike up conversations with people from other programmes.
His second visit also changed the way he experienced the summer school community. In 2025, he had spent more time with students from his home university. Being in an unfamiliar country, he explains, made it natural to stay close to people he already knew. This time, knowing his way around Hradec Králové helped him feel more at ease and spend time with a wider circle of participants.
“There’s a real sense of community,” he says.
At the same time, Christian appreciated having the freedom to explore the city independently. He enjoyed taking long walks, discovering local restaurants and finding quiet places to review his lecture notes. CrossCafe became one of his favourite places to type up his notes after lectures and, by his second visit, something of a personal summer school tradition.
Even after two summers in Hradec Králové, Christian would like to return for a third. His second visit was not simply a repeat of the first. It brought new academic challenges, opportunities to meet more people and a different experience of a city that had already become familiar to him.
“If you’re debating whether to join a summer school, the answer should just be yes,” he says. “I think you should come. You should do it. It’s a really great time. You learn a lot about different people and cultures, and you learn a lot academically. There isn’t just one good reason to come.”
