Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) is the organiser of WebValley. It is a summer school for dissemination of interdisciplinary research: almost 250 students (17-18y old) have attended the WebValley camps since its first edition in 2001. WebValley started as a regional initiative for high school students from Trentino Alto-Adige SüdTirol, and it is now an opportunity for national and international students to experiment scientific research.

The WebValley formula: Create a team of enthusiast and motivated high school students (18 y) tutored by researchers.

• The team accepts a challenge by a collaborating scientist from Ecology, Biology or Social Sciences and develops in three weeks a new web-based prototype for data analysis and management.
• Students are introduced to Open Source software solutions (scientific programming, web interfaces, database, GIS and data analysis); they discuss, design and develop the new system interacting with scientists. They learn to select tools, organize their own workplan, and respond with a new solution to a problem of ethical interest. A working prototype web solution and technical results are presented at the end of the three week period.
• The project activities are developed mostly in teamwork as in a true research environment, that is informal and of high quality in resources, competence and organization. Each student can differently contribute to project with ideas, software code or data preparation, design of new web interfaces, project presentation.
• The location: the school is held in a high-tech lab located in a small Alpine village, to demonstrate that web access may support new types of innovative actions also in remote areas, combining new technologies and high-quality of life in a natural environment.(Lab is open all day, but group activities and leisure time are also part of the three weeks).