Physics + Philosophy + People

NPI brings the philosophical foundations of physics to communities through workshops, mentorship, and dialogue, with a focus on underrepresented individuals in science.

Learn More

Physics began as natural philosophy, the pursuit of understanding nature through rational inquiry. We believe that pursuit belongs everywhere.

Philosophical Inquiry as Practice

What is space? What is time? Why does mathematics describe nature? We design workshops that encourage critical thinking and physical intuition through guided philosophical dialogue around these existential topics. The goal is to ground students and young adults in their real, lived experiences through both abstraction and human connection.

Mentorship for Youth & Young Adults

We prioritize reaching underrepresented youth and young women who are often excluded from conversations about fundamental science. Our workshops aim to create space for every person to see themselves as a thinker and a scientist. We welcome requests for one-on-one mentorship for K-12 students and young adults.

Community-Centered Outreach

We partner with teachers, schools, and community organizations in Orange County and beyond to bring enriching content directly into classrooms and shared spaces. Every workshop is designed collaboratively with educators and community workers to meet folks where they are, free of charge.

Our 2026 pilot program reached:

50+

youth participants

10+ hours

of content delivered

4.7/5

participant satisfaction

Student Testimonials

  • I really liked the part where we discussed all the different questions and answer choices. It was a lot of fun because I learned and talked about things I had never thought about before.

    —10th grade participant

  • I learned how to think deeper about how things exist and that there is no "right answer."

    —11th grade participant

  • I learned a lot about philosophy and how it's very connected to modern physics. We learned which philosophers we were most like, and we connected what we learned to modern quantum theory.

    —12th grade participant

  • My favorite part was answering the questions and learning [which Enlightenment philosopher] we aligned with.

    —12th grade participant

  • I learned a lot about the different ways people perceive our existence and the way the universe and time works.

    —10th grade participant

  • I learned about different ways to view the world and the universe. [The best part was] talking about it with my teacher and classmates.

    —10th grade participant

  • [We learned] all sorts of crazy fun cool philosophy and quantum stuff. My favorite part was learning about paradoxes.

    — 10th grader, Honors Physics

  • We learned about the philosophy [of] the universe, space and physics, [and] how there are a lot of paradox[es] in life that are fun to think about, and really talked about the different view points.

    —11th grade participant

  • [We] learned about how to discuss highly abstract concepts in a group, [and] identify logical fallacies.

    —12th grade participant

Let’s bring natural philosophy to people, together.

We're here to work with you and tailor engaging outreach for your students or community. All workshops are free of charge, and we come to you.

We also offer mentorship for K-12 students and young adults — from academic support and college applications to guided exploration of philosophy and science.

Have questions? Contact us. Ready to host a workshop or interested in mentorship? Fill out a request anytime!