Middle schoolers curious about neuroscience can opt for summer programs in the subject. Texas offers several such programs for you to explore your interests and expand your knowledge. Most of these programs offer a challenging curriculum that encourages you to build critical thinking and problem-solving skills. You receive the opportunity to interact with experienced neuroscientists who provide insights into a career in the field. 

Working with other ambitious peers from diverse backgrounds improves your collaboration skills in an environment conducive for networking. Thus, you can benefit from holistic learning and development in the summer. Here are somme neuroscience summer programs in Texas for your consideration.

1. Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective

Location: Virtual

Cost: Varies; financial aid available

Dates: 8 weeks, varies by cohort

Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort

Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8

Middle schoolers aiming to conduct research can opt for Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program. You are paired with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, who are experts in neuroscience. Conducting hands-on research helps you gain specialized knowledge in neuroscience. Over the course of the program, you learn how to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study, which enables you to build crucial skills. Feedback and writing coaching sessions enable you to build your scientific communication skills. You can publish your research in academic journals by opting for the Junior Research and Publication Program.

2. Discovery Camps: Summer

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Location: The Health Museum, Houston, TX

Cost: $350 – $475

Dates: June 8 – August 14

Application Deadline: On a first-come, first-served basis

Eligibility: Students aged 5 – 13

The Health Museum has a range of summer camps for middle schoolers to explore based on their interests. Students interested in neuroscience can opt for the Mini Med school tracks. Both tracks introduce you to the human body  and physiology, including the nervous system, musculoskeletal system, the digestive system, and more. Practical activities include using medical instruments, viewing real human organs, and experiencing the hands-on dissections of small animal organs. Thus, you gain hands-on medical skills while considering a career in medicine. Outside the classroom, you also view the museum’s exhibits.

3. Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Location: Virtual

Cost: Varies; financial aid available

Dates: 25 hours over 10 weeks (on weekends) during the spring cohort and 25 hours over 2 weeks (on weekdays) during the summer cohort.

Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines

Eligibility: Students in grades 6 – 8

Students looking for an interdisciplinary program that combines their interests in neuroscience and technology can participate in Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program. This program introduces you to the fundamentals of AI and machine learning. You learn a diverse range of topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. After completing the theory, you work on a practical project where you apply your learnings. This project must solve a real-world neuroscience problem using technology. In the past, students have built a machine-learning model to classify music genres and a machine-learning algorithm to provide a custom list of educational resources based on selected specifications.

4. Johns Hopkins CTY’s Climate Change and Neurobiology

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Location: Online

Cost: $1,365 – $1,420

Dates: June 16 – July 21 (Summer A) or July 15 – August 19 (Summer B)

Application Deadline: May 11 (Summer A) or June 8 (Summer B)

Eligibility: Students in grades 7 – 11 who meet CTY-level quantitative or verbal scores

Johns Hopkins’s CTY offers several programs for talented middle schoolers. This track considers the effect of climate change on neurobiology. The course poses several questions regarding the interconnection, including how rising temperatures alter neural processes, cognitive performance, and overall brain function using evidence from neuroscience and environmental health research. You examine risk factors, symptoms, and treatments for disorders. For the hands-on component, you develop data-informed public service announcements to raise awareness. You also learn which communities are likely to be most at risk for each disorder and the need for environmental advocacy.

5. Georgetown University’s Psychology: How the Brain Influences Behavior

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Location: Online

Cost: $1,895 (enrichment course fees) or $3,995 (college credit course fees)

Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year

Application Deadline: Varies according to session

Eligibility: Students aged 13 years and older

This program blends psychology and neuroscience to explore the factors that influence the human brain and behavior. A range of psychology topics like brain injuries, learning disabilities, the psychology of product and web design, and how we process our media environment are introduced during the program. You also learn the fundamentals of neuroscience in the context of brain’s reward system, the effects of drugs on behavior, and the causes and treatments for disorders like anxiety and depression. Another dimension of neuroscience covers the connection between perception and all kinds of real-world design. For the final project, you create a multimedia presentation on the topic of “My Psychological Life."

6. Rice University’s Physiology: The Foundations of Medicine

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Location: Online

Cost: $1,795

Dates: Multi-length courses available throughout the year

Application Deadline: Varies according to session

Eligibility: Students aged 13 years and older

Rice University’s virtual program teaches you how the human body operates. You learn about the different body systems. You also learn about their functioning and what can go wrong. During the program, you study the nervous, muscular, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems as well as how they work in combination. If you are curious about neuroscience, the neuroscience topic teaches you to identify the parts of a neuron and how it communicates with other neurons and muscles. The capstone project requires you to create a model depicting the physiological properties of a healthy body and its systems.

Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.