The "Progetto Lauree Scientifiche" (Scientific Degree Project) is a major national project, created in 2004 for a joint initiative of the Ministry of Education, University and Research, the Conference of Deans of Science and Confindustria, with the aim to attract young people to basic science. In this volume seven articles are collected that describe and analyze critically the mathematics laboratories designed and realized under this project by the faculty of the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Trieste, in collaboration with teachers of the schools of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region and of Italian schools in Istria. These laboratories were offered with great success to the students in the school years 2005/06 and 2006/07. The book aims to provide teachers with relevant documentation necessary to repeat this stimulating experience. Among the topics covered: infinite sums, chaos and fractals, mathematical games, famous curves, transformation groups, curves and surfaces, areas and volumes.
