ASPIRE 2025 — Thank you for a Great Workshop!
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2025 Achieving in Science through Physics Instrumentation Research and Exploration (ASPIRE) Workshop at The Ohio State University.
This summer, we hosted one four-day session (June 16th – 20th) filled with hands-on physics activities, experiments, and discussions. It was great to work with such curious, enthusiastic, and motivated students. We hope you had fun, learned something new, and left feeling even more excited about science.
Special thanks to the families, volunteers, and staff who helped make the workshop a success.
We look forward to offering ASPIRE again in the future. Stay tuned for future opportunities!
Director: Prof. Amy Connolly
Coordinators:
Paramita Dasgupta (CCAPP Postdoctoral Fellow)
Zoe Riesen (PhD Student)
Alex Machtay (PhD Student)
Jason Yao (PhD Student)
Alan Salcedo-Gomez (PhD Student)
About ASPIRE
The ASPIRE physics workshop is open to all students entering the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Participants will get their hands on physics equipment and software used by physicists and learn about physics research. In the last ASPIRE workshop, participants worked on three separate radio-themed projects where they searched for a hidden transmitter using antennas and oscilloscopes, analyzed real data from the ANITA neutrino experiment in Mathematica, and programmed an Arduino to produce their own mini-radio station.
Physicists from all levels—undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral, and professor—come together to share their knowledge, expertise, and enthusiasm with workshop attendees. Together, we foster the next generation of scientists by giving them exposure to real research environments, challenges, and rewards.
It is not expected that participants have any physics or mathematics background and thus there are no previous course requirements for the workshop. However, we have noticed that students have a more constructive experience if they have taken trigonometry and possibly some exposure to physics in the classroom.
There is a $440 fee for participation in the workshop. Please note: we expect to and would like to offer a full scholarship to all students to cover the $440 participation fee. Please simply select in the application if you wish to receive this scholarship and submit a short essay (<300 words) explaining why you would like to participate in the workshop.
ASPIRE is made possible by generous support of the National Science Foundation through the NSF, the Center for Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics (CCAPP), and the Department of Physics at The Ohio State University.
Here are some photos from past programs:
Hi. What is the application date for the second session? March 31 is for the early June session, correct?
The deadline for the June workshop has been extended to April 15th I believe (my coordinator is out right now but I will check with him when he gets back and make sure it is updated). The deadline for the August workshop has not been set yet but if you are interested you could apply now.
Thanks!
Amy
Is this a residential program or day program? We live about 2 hrs away but my daughter is very interested in the camp. Thanks
Hello Jen,
I am sorry that we did not see this message but it is a day program. We plan on having the program again next year pending funding.
Thanks for your interest!
Amy
Are Session 1 and Session 2 the same? Or do they have to participate in Session 1 in order to take Session 2?
Hello,
Sorry that we did not see this message before but both sessions are the same, we just offer it twice.
We plan to hold the workshop again next year pending funding, so you can check back to this site.
Thank you for your interest!
Amy
Hi, are there any requirements regarding previous experience with or classes taken in physics?
Hello Analia,
Sorry that we missed this message.
There are no previous requirements, having some trigonometry helps but if they have not seen it we teach them what they need to know for the projects. We also group them with participants with similar math backgrounds.
Thank you for your interest, we plan to hold ASPIRE workshops again next year pending funding, so you can check this site in the spring.
Amy
Hello. I will have a rising Junior this summer and she is interested in this camp. Will you be holding sessions in 2018, or was this just a camp for last year?
Sorry for the delay in the response. The web page has been updated with new information for the 2018 summer sessions. The first workshop will be August 6-10 and the second one will be August 13-17. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Hello, will this program be held for summer 2018?
Sorry for the delayed response. Yes, this program will be held for the summer of 2018. The two sessions will be August 6-10 and August 13-17. Please let us know if you have any other questions!
I know some students who are interested in the 2018 program. Would appreciate any details.
Thanks
Sudha
Sorry for the delayed response. Additional details for the 2018 program are now posted on the website above. Please let us know if you have any additional questions about the program for this summer!
Hello,
Daughter is interested in this workshop.
I can’t seem to find any information on whether there is a cost to the camp. So I was wondering what is the cost of the camp and if so are scholarships available?
Thanks for your interest in the ASPIRE workshop. The cost for the camp is still being worked out for this year. The cost is used to cover the cost of food, transportation, and consumable supplies for the participants. However, we have made it a policy to provide financial support for those who find the cost burdensome. Once the cost is worked out, it will be posted on the website and I will additionally respond in a further comment.
When is the deadline to apply for this summer (2019)?
Our deadline had been yesterday, but we still have some spots open and so we will continue to take applications. We would appreciate having them in as soon as possible for planning. Thanks for your interest!
Is this program available in 2020?
Yes! I just updated the webpage with the dates – we will holding the workshops the weeks of June 8th and June 15th. The online application will be similar to last year’s and will be up soon, hopefully this week.
Thanks!
Amy