In 2002, Stephen Wolfram‘s A New Kind of Science (NKS) was published. Soon after, Wolfram Research began hosting annual Summer Schools centered around doing research on the topics and methods introduced by the book. The first NKS Summer School was held in 2003 at Brown University. It’s that time of year again—when interested individuals all around the world apply to the NKS Summer School.

By 2008, the NKS Summer School was already well established. I was one of those interested individuals, having completed my master’s degree in mathematics the year before. I had been introduced to A New Kind of Science by a good friend, back when I was taking advanced undergraduate courses in physics. So when I came across the NKS Summer School in the winter of 2007, I was eager to apply.

That first Summer School was a terrific experience that led to me keep thinking about NKS, and looking for ways to apply NKS methodology to my many interests. After the 2008 NKS Summer School I continued to build off my original project, which culminated in a paper recently submitted to Complex Systems.

We have a wide age range of participants, from advanced high school students to retired academics and professionals, and everything in between. And I can definitively say that the creative atmosphere and diversity of the student group enhances the experience of the Summer School, giving greater access to varied methods and perspectives while completing projects and other work.

For some of our students, the Summer School doesn’t end with the final project presentation. NKS Summer School projects have been the foundation for later work and research, including (but not limited to) articles published in well-respected scientific journals, performances of musical compositions, development and implementation of architectural designs, new tools for working professionals and professional academics, and so on.

Eight years and still going strong. Last year’s NKS Summer School was the first held internationally, at CNR-ISTI in Pisa, Italy. This year the Summer School will be hosted at the University of Vermont in picturesque, mountainous Burlington, Vermont, USA, from June 21–July 9, 2010. We have held the Summer School at the University of Vermont twice before, in 2007 and 2008, and have found students and instructors alike enjoy the venue.

Applications have been coming in for a few weeks. We encourage those interested to apply as soon as possible. We look forward to another great group this year, as well as an impressive crop of projects based on NKS methods.

Interested in reading more about the 2010 and past NKS Summer Schools? Please visit the main Summer School page.