Neuronauts

Neuroscience is the study of the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves) and how this system lets us interact with our environment (e.g., seeing or smelling), move our bodies, and imagine both the past and the future (e.g., remember nice holidays we took or predict our crush’s reaction when we ask them out). At Neuronauts we will study neuroscience with a mix of classroom lectures, in-person experiments, and hands-on data collection.

Computer science is the study of the structure and interpretation of computer programs and how they can do mathematics (e.g., a calculator), automate processes (e.g., an assembly-line robot), or store information (e.g., a digital photo album). At Neuronauts we will study computer science with a mix of classroom lectures and hands-on time to build simple robots and other computing systems.

Students aged between 13-17 years attending a state school (or home-schooled) in the Greater London area are eligible to apply. Preference will be given to applicants who meet our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) criteria:

Meet at least ONE of the following:

• You are eligible for Free School Meals
• You have been in care

OR meet at least TWO of the following:

• Your parents/guardians did not go to university  
• Your household income is less than £45,000 per year
• The occupation of your main household earner is in one of the Social Mobility Commission categories below:
  • Technical and craft occupations such as: motor mechanic, plumber, printer, electrician, gardener, train driver
  • Routine, semi-routine manual and service occupations such as: postal worker, machine operative, security guard, caretaker, farm worker, catering assistant, sales assistant, HGV driver, cleaner, porter, packer, labourer, waiter/waitress, bar staff
  • Long-term unemployed (claimed Jobseeker's Allowance or earlier unemployment benefit for more than a year)

We want to help as many people as possible who are underrepresented in science. If you are in doubt whether you would be considered, we recommend applying. 

Yes! Scientists come in all shapes and sizes, including those who didn’t like school or struggled with grades. (Not to mention, most of the things that scientists work on don’t have much to do with school or grades.) Are you curious about how the world works? Do you like getting creative, or solving puzzles or problems? Do you like working with your hands, to build or draw? If you said yes to any of these questions, and you are interested in neuroscience and computer science, we absolutely want you to apply.

Yes! Good news—every scientist who ever was started with no experience! If you have ever built something, taken a photo, written down your thoughts, figured out maths on a scrap of paper, solved a puzzle, or done any activity where you had to be creative and observant, you already have experience as a scientist. As a Neuronaut, you will grow your experience specifically within neuroscience and computer science, so if you like these topics, you will have a great time. 

Would you believe it if we told you that many of the scientists leading Neuronauts have at some point been told the very same thing? And yet here we are! There is no single way to look or act like a scientist. A scientist is anyone who is creative, curious, and observant about the world around them—that’s it! If you want to learn and play with other creative and curious people, you will absolutely fit in with the Neuronauts team.

Yes! Accommodations can absolutely be arranged to make sure you can get the most out of Neuronauts. When you fill out your application form, please tell us a bit about your needs at the end, so we have ample time to do a good job with this.

We don’t want anyone to feel like they can’t attend Neuronauts because they can’t afford it. Over the two-week course, we will cover the costs of: 

1. Your travel to and from Neuronauts via public transportation, from within any London postcode.

2. Your course materials, like notebooks, pencils, and equipment.

3. Your snacks and lunch for each day of the course.

Travel will be paid for via reimbursement, but if that’s an issue for you (or if you’re slightly farther afield than London), be in touch and we will sort something out.

Fair point! We don’t want to go to school either, so we designed Neuronauts to be all about play. (Did you know that one of our organisers is a puppeteer?) About 25% of the time will be spent in lectures, to cover some fundamentals (but these are designed to be fun, with no homework!). The rest of the time will be spent doing hands-on work in teams, writing code, and running experiments. The full course schedule will be available on this webpage in June.

To make it the best possible experience, you should be able to attend the full course of Neuronauts. You will learn new things across the days, build on that knowledge, and then use it in your own projects. Therefore, it’s important that you’ll be able to attend from the starting day until the last day, for most of the scheduled hours.