The 2026 Bojos per la Ciència (Crazy About Science) programme, promoted by the Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, has come to an end after several months of activities and practical training sessions. This year's programme included over 13 courses, covering diverse scientific disciplines ranging from chemistry and physics to nutrition and supercomputing. The closing ceremony, which took place on 5 June, brought together students, course coordinators, and participating institutions to celebrate the programme's completion.

For another year, the ICN2 and IFAE jointly coordinated the Physics course (Bojos per la Física), which welcomed 26 secondary school students from schools across Catalonia. Over the course of the programme, participants attended 14 sessions held at different research institutions, where they gained first-hand insight into the daily work of researchers and explored some of the most exciting areas of contemporary physics. The programme offered a broad and multidisciplinary perspective on the field, covering topics as diverse as quantum physics, materials science, cosmology and photonics.

Several of this year’s sessions took place at the ICN2, including:

• Nanoparticles and Electrons: This session introduced participants to the ICN2 and the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Participants learned key concepts and gained hands-on experience of working with nanoparticles alongside researchers from the Inorganic Nanoparticles Group and with electron microscopes alongside scientists from the Electron Microscopy Unit and the Advanced Electron Nanoscopy Group.
• Nanoelectronics: In this session, the students were introduced to the fabrication processes used to create nanoscale devices. Through a combination of theory and practical activities, they learnt how device design affects electrical performance. The session was led by researchers from the Theoretical and Computational Nanoscience Group,  the Physics and Engineering of Nanodevices Group, and the Ultrafast Dynamics in Nanoscale Systems Group.
• Water on Nanostructured Surfaces: This session, led by researchers from the Magnetic Nanostructures Group and the Thermal Properties of Nanoscale Materials Group, explored how nanostructured surfaces can be used to modify and tailor the properties of materials.

In addition to the sessions held at ICN2 and IFAE, participants had the opportunity to visit and learn from researchers at several other leading institutions, including ICMAB, ICFO, the UAB and the ALBA Synchrotron.

Through initiatives such as Bojos per la Física, the ICN2 reaffirms its commitment to fostering scientific vocations and bringing excellent research closer to younger generations, offering students a unique opportunity to experience the research environment first-hand.

We look forward to welcoming a new cohort of students to Bojos per la Ciència 2027.