Summer school at Vatican Observatory offers unique opportunity for young scientists

ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 31, 2025 / 07:00 am

The Vatican Observatory’s summer school, known as “Specola,” has already selected students for its next edition.

During the month of June, 25 students who were selected from among 120 candidates from different countries around the world will have the opportunity to advance their education at this renowned institution of the Catholic Church located in Castel Gandolfo on the outskirts of Rome.

The director of the “Specola,” Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno, explained to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, that all of the students “are between 20 and 30 years old and plan to pursue doctorates in astronomy or astrophysics.”

He also noted that “the only limit is that no more than two students from the same country are chosen.” This year’s lucky winners are 25 students from 21 countries on several continents: two from Africa, two from Asia, 11 from Europe and North America, eight from Latin America, and two from Oceania.

Since 1986, the Vatican Observatory has organized this summer school at Castel Gandolfo every two years to offer young scientists from all over the world the opportunity to learn from the world’s leading experts in astronomy.

Alumni of this school are now leading many fields of astronomical research, such as notables Fernando Comeron, deputy director for science at the European Southern Observatory, and Heino Falcke, chair of the Scientific Council of the Event Horizon Telescope, which captured the first image of a black hole in 2001.

In addition, students in this year’s course will have access to the James Webb telescope, which has revolutionized astronomy through advanced research. The 2025 summer school will offer a global overview of the main achievements made possible by this telescope in its first three years of operation.

Professors at the summer school include Eiichi Egami of the University of Arizona; Consolmagno; Jesuit Father David Brown, the dean of the Vatican Observatory; Roberto Maiolino of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom; former student Almudena Alonso-Herrero from the Center for Astrobiology; and Thomas Greene from NASA.

Consolmagno confirmed to ACI Prensa that “there are no religious requirements to participate in the school.”

Furthermore, the selection process is not related to the student’s financial situation, as no tuition is charged and additional financial support for travel and accommodation is provided by benefactors through the Vatican Observatory Foundation.

This is the 19th Specola Vaticana summer school. Since the first edition in 1986, more than 450 students have participated in these summer schools.

In addition to the Specola at Castel Gandolfo, the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, located on Mount Graham in southeast Arizona, is operated by the Vatican Observatory Research Group in collaboration with the University of Arizona. 

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.