Fitzwilliam College Summer School Programme

4001-699-686

Subjects


Mathematics for Natural Sciences
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)

  About Fitzwilliam College Summer School 

Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the fourth-oldest university in the world. Fitzwilliam College is one of the 31 constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge, with a rich history of inclusive education. Research and education across the 150 faculties and departments of the university cover a vast array of fields. Many of the subjects taught at Cambridge are ranked in the top 5 worldwide by the QS world university rankings by subject.

FitzEd is the summer school programme of Fitzwilliam College in the University of Cambridge for international students aged 14-18 years. The FitzEd Summer School is a unique summer programme at Cambridge that is exclusively taught by current academics from the University of Cambridge or one of its constituent Colleges.

It's academic
Our programme reflects the traditional Cambridge supervisions at the core of our undergraduate courses. It will help you develop your academic skills through lectures and challenging small-group problem-solving sessions. No more than 15 participants will be enrolled in each course to ensure that you make the most out of your time with us. You will be offered a minimum of 40h of tuition across the 2-week programme. In addition to this you will be expected to spend several hours on problem-solving in preparation for your supervision. You will also need to work a minimum of 8h on your research project.

It’s cultural
Besides the academic component of the programme, you will have the opportunity to explore Cambridge, visit famous landmarks and museums in the city and go punting on the River Cam. Furthermore, over the weekend we will take you on an excursion to explore London!

It’s fun
The many social activities that we will organise for you will give you a fantastic opportunity to deepen your new friendships with like-minded people from around the world. Forming these new bonds with others from different cultural backgrounds will improve your ability to study and live in a multicultural environment such as Cambridge.

In 2023, Fitzwilliam College and ASEEDER have entered a strategic partnership to open the FitzEd Summer and Winter School Programmes to outstanding students in China. Since 2023, more than 300 students from across the country participated in these programmes. In the summer of 2025, we will offer two summer school programmes, the first in the period of 13th-26th July, and the second between 27th July – 9th August. The first period will offer courses designed for students aged 14-15 as well as those aged 16-18. The schedule is fully packed with academic, cultural and social activities throughout your time with us.

You can also visit the website of Fitzwilliam College at https://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/fitzed to view more information.

  Videos 

0
of our previous participants said that they would recommend FitzEd Summer School for others
0
said that taking our courses strengthened their enjoyment and interest of the subject they studied
0
of them were more confident about their choice of subject for university than they were before attending the programme.

  Why choose us? 

Official

Official Summer School Programme of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge. All course instructors are academics at Fitzwilliam College or one of the other colleges of the University of Cambridge.

Top Subjects

FitzEd Summer School provides 3 subject areas for participants. According to the QS World University Rankings, Cambridge is ranked in the top 10 at university level worldwide for these subjects. Participants will engage in small-group classes with a maximum of 15 participants.

Enrichment Activities

Participants will take part in lectures and workshops aimed at developing numerous soft skills which are essential for academic progression. There will be sessions to cultivate the participants’ writing, presentation, communication and study skills. Besides the academically challenging workload participants will undertake, they will be encouraged to join in enriching extra-curricular activities such as playing sports, table tennis, board games or lawn games, take creative writing lessons, practise your art and design skills, play the piano, attend movie nights, and much more.

Academic essay

The participants will be required to write an individual academic essay combining their knowledge from the course and private study. The top 2 essays from each course will be published in the FitzEd Summer School Journal and displayed on Fitzwilliam College's website.

Live in Fitzwilliam College

The 14-15 participants will be accommodated in single semi en-suite rooms. Semi en-suite means wash sink and shower in the room but shared toilets on corridors (about 3 toilets per 7 people on each floor). Full-board catering will be provided (breakfast, lunch and dinner) every day, with an authentic Cambridge formal hall experience following both the opening and closing ceremonies.

  Outcomes 

● Students who attend at least 90% of the classes, write their essay and give their presentation will receive a certificate of completion by Fitzwilliam College.
● Each student will write an academic research essay and presentation and receive detailed individual feedback from the academic course instructor.
● Top 2 best performing students will receive an award certificate.
● The authors of the best 2 essays will receive a top essay certificate.
● The top 2 essays from each course will be published in the FitzEd Summer School Journal and displayed on Fitzwilliam College's website.
Detail>>

Certificate of Completion

Award Certificate

2024 FITZWILLIAM SUMMER SCHOOL JOURNAL

This is an annual journal publishing the best essays written by the top-perorming students of the FitzEd Summer School which is the official summer programme of Fitzwilliam College in the University of Cambridge.

The journal covers eleven fields: Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, Microbiology, Elements of Mathematical Economics, Engineering, Chemistry, Medicine, Palaeobiology, Philosophy, and Nuclear Engineering.

Read More >

  Courses on Offer  

Mathematics
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering
Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)

13th-26th July, 2025

 Instructor and Syllabus 

Mathematics


Prof. Anthony Ashton

Fellow, Tutor, College Associate Professor, Director of Studies in Mathematics at Homerton College, University of Cambridge. Lecturer, Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge

Anthony Ashton has been lecturing courses in the Mathematical Tripos since 2011. His teaching responsibilities fall across a broad range of subjects, from courses on Differential Equations and Probability in Part IA all the way to Analysis of PDEs in Part III. He is director of studies in mathematics at Homerton, where he oversees the progress of around 40 students each year.
His research interests focus mainly on partial differential equations (PDE). More specifically, he works on spectral approaches to elliptic boundary value problems, Lie group methods, new approaches to regularity problems in linear PDE and certain aspects of mathematical physics. He is also interested in several problems in analytic number theory relating to the Hurwitz zeta function.


■ Course Content

The primary purpose of this course will be to teach students how to count. We will build up knowledge and understanding of elementary combinatorics and see how those ideas can be used to solve problems of probability.

Date 14th July

Monday

15th July

Tuesday

16th July

Wednesday

17th July

Thursday

18th July

Friday

  Counting & Permutations Combinations Pigeon hole principle Supervision Day 1 Algebra of sets and Inclusion-Exclusion
Date 19th July

Saturday

21th July

Monday

22th July

Tuesday

23th July

Wednesday

24th July

Thursday

  Probability I Probability II Guided Presentation and Essay Writing Supervision Day 2 Final Presentations

* List of prerequisite knowledge:
None.
*Fitzwilliam College reserves the right to changes to the course content or the course instructor.

Mechanical and Electrical Engineering


Dr Miles Stopher

Director of Admissions and Affiliated Lecturer, Department of Engineering, Cambridge, Senior Lecturer, Fellow and Director of Studies in Engineering, Homerton College
Bye-Fellow in Engineering at Fitzwilliam College

Dr Miles Stopher is a Senior Lecturer in Engineering at Homerton College and the Director of Admissions and an Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of Engineering. He is a Bye-Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, having previously been Acting Senior Tutor. He has supervised and directed studies in Engineering for 10 years, across a number of colleges at the University, including his alma mater, Jesus College


■ Course Content

Engineering has many branches, but the oldest and broadest is mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineers look at the design, analysis, and manufacturing of mechanical systems and machines that keep our world moving forward. Electrical engineering was born in the 18th century, known then as "the youngest of the sciences". This intensive course offers a valuable insight into what it is like to study mechanical or electrical engineering at university, covering the most prominent specialisms within the fields. Students will study the foundational concepts on which such specialisms are built and apply them to real-world problems, acquiring the skills and knowledge necessary to gain a head start in studying engineering at university.

Date 14th July

Monday

15th July

Tuesday

16th July

Wednesday

17th July

Thursday

18th July

Friday

  Mechanical Engineering: Aircraft design Mechanical Engineering: Engine design Mechanical Engineering:

Power plant design

 

Supervision Day 1:

Mechanics problems

Electrical Engineering:

Electronics

Date 19th July

Saturday

21th July

Monday

22th July

Tuesday

23th July

Wednesday

24th July

Thursday

 

Electrical Engineering:

Renewable Energy

Electrical and Mechanical Engineering:

Robotics

Guided Presentation

and Essay Writing

Supervision Day 2:

Electronics problems

Final

Presentations

* List of prerequisite knowledge:
The emphasis during the course will be on the physical understanding of the principles involved. Only elementary mathematical methods will be used. The key is the engineering and not the mathematics behind it. As such, I only ask students have an appetite for learning and an inquisitiveness for engineering. Nonetheless, I’ve provided a few fun questions below that hopefully you enjoy tackling and can challenge your friends with.

Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Biology)


Dr Anke Ardern-Arentsen

Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Astronomy, Research Fellow at Fitzwilliam College

Anke Ardern-Arentsen is a researcher working at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, where she studies the history of our home galaxy, the Milky Way. She is especially interested in what the oldest surviving stars can teach us about the early Universe. She teaches supervisions for third-year Astronomy students, co-teaches an astronomy module for the Data Intensive Science MPhil and supervises research projects at the University of Cambridge.


Dr Laura Frost

Lead Veterinary Surgeon at Woodgreen, The Animal Charity, Bye-fellow in Veterinary Medicine at Fitzwilliam College,Director of Studies in Veterinary Medicine at Wolfson/Lucy Cavendish Colleges

Laura Frost qualified as a vet from Cambridge vet school in 2009 and initially worked in general practice while studying for a surgical certificate. She now works as a surgeon at Woodgreen, a large rehoming charity dealing with dogs, cats, rabbits, ferrets and other small mammals. She lectures as part of the preclinical vet course and teaching surgery to final year students and recent graduate vets. In her spare time, she rehabilitates wild hedgehogs ready for release back into the wild.



Dr Itai Massad

Herchel Smith Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Chemistry, Research Fellow at Fitzwilliam College

Itai Massad is a researcher in the Department of Chemistry, where his research in the field of supramolecular chemistry explores the design and preparation of supramolecular cages – well-defined three-dimensional assemblies that can trap small molecules within their structures. Itai has extensive experience in teaching organic chemistry from introductory to graduate level.



■ Course Content

In this taster programme, you will get to explore three fields within the natural sciences. In the physics/astronomy module, we will revise and study the relevance of many areas in physics for the fascinating field of astronomy, explore the history of the Universe and learn about stars and their planets. In the biology module, we will look at comparative anatomy, study hormones and metabolism in humans, domestic pets and wild animals (including hibernation) and build an understanding of how wounds and bones heal including practicing some practical skills like how to close a wound. In the organic chemistry module, we will learn to understand and predict the structure of organic (and inorganic) molecules and explore modern analytical techniques for determining molecular structure. Modules will be a mixture of lectures and practical elements.

Date 14th July

Monday

15th July

Tuesday

16th July

Wednesday

17th July

Thursday

18th July

Friday

 

Physics for astronomy

The history of the Universe Comparative anatomy Comparative metabolism How things heal
Dr Ardern-Arentsen Dr Ardern-Arentsen Dr Frost MRCVS Dr Frost MRCVS Dr Frost MRCVS
Date 19th July

Saturday

21th July

Monday

22th July

Tuesday

23th July

Wednesday

24th July

Thursday

 

Molecular structures

Isomerism and resonance NMR spectroscopy Stars and exoplanets Final Presentations
Dr Massad Dr Massad Dr Massad Dr Ardern-Arentsen

* List of prerequisite knowledge:
Some knowledge of basic physics and chemistry would be useful, as well as a familiarity with using (simple) equations.
*Test your knowledge of the prerequisites! Can you answer the questions below?
1.Using Newton’s second law, determine the force required to accelerate an average adult human being at 2 m/s2.
2.What are the three-dimensional shapes of H2O and CO2? Why do they differ?
*Fitzwilliam College reserves the right to changes to the course content or the course instructor.

 Timetable 

  ACCOMMODATION  

  Cultural Activities  

Supervision

Teamwork

Connections

Lecture

Sports

Formal Dinner

Closing Ceremony

Celebration

Punting

  Programme Information 

14-15 years old courses:

Date: 13th-26th July, 2025 (40-hour tuition)
Age: 14-15 years old (Birthday between July 27, 2009 and July 13, 2011)

 

Admission quota:

15 students for each subject

Requirements

Students need to satisfy at least one of the following requirements:
Direct Admission:

  • Students that have received a A or above in the ASDAN EPQ are eligible for direct admission.
  • Students that provide a recommendation letter from an invited teacher are eligible for direct admission (Each teacher can recommend up to two students).
  • Students that provides certification on IELTS level 6.0, TOEFL 80, and an A or above in a subject that is related to the short course they want to apply for in this programme.

If you do not meet the above criteria, you will be required to do a phone or online interview in English with an ASEEDER teacher.
*Students who have received global or national awards in international mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, business, and English assessments organized by ASEEDER are given priority for admission.
*Since each course is limited to 15 students, registration will close once filled. Students' spots will be secured upon successful registration. However, the final enrollment result will depend on notification from Fitzwilliam College. If a course is fully booked, ASEEDER's teachers will contact the student to discuss an alternative course option.

Contact Us

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