Hands-on Physics Experience (HoPE) is a MIT program started in 2018 by instructor Ed Moriarty that is expanding in high schools across Italy and beyond. 

The program involves students in the last three years of high schools, giving them the opportunity to design and carry out their own STEAM project. Throughout the implementation phase, students are guided by MIT tutors, INFN Lecce researchers, and internal STEAM teachers; these educators contribute their expertise in active tutoring and peer education, thereby forming a unified, active, and inclusive learning community.

Our school is joined the program in 2024 and immediately met with great success. Approximately 50 students participated each year, and 10 projects were fully completed.