10 Physics Summer Programs for Gifted Middle School Students
- Stephen Turban
- 53 minutes ago
- 6 min read
Summer programs are a solid option for gifted students to get ahead in their academics. These programs are tailored to meet your needs. They are typically fast-paced and rigorous, covering an advanced curriculum.
If you are interested in physics, there are summer programs that specifically teach the subject. You will not only solidify your foundational understanding but also level up your learning. Here are some physics summer programs for you to consider.
10 Physics Summer Programs for Gifted Middle School Students
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies, financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 8 weeks, varies by cohort
Application Deadline: Varies according to cohort
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
Students interested in research can opt for Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program may meet your requirements. This program pairs you with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, who are specialists in physics. Throughout the program, you will conduct original research, learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study. You can benefit from feedback and writing coaching sessions to develop your critical thinking and scientific communication skills. Lumiere also offers a Junior Research and Publication Program for students who wish to publish their research in academic journals in 16 weeks.
Location: Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN
Cost/Stipend: Fully funded
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited spots
Dates: To be announced
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 and 8
Physics Inside Out is a fully funded program for 7th and 8th graders to learn physics. You will complete hands-on activities to learn the fundamentals of physics and how they apply to the real world. It deals with all aspects of physics from the nano to the astro. Faculty and professionals also talk to you about their professional journey and provide insights regarding potential pathways. The program includes tours of the campus and lab facilities.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates:
Spring cohort: 25 hours over 10 weeks, weekends
Summer cohort: 25 hours over 2 weeks, weekdays
Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines
Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8
You can also consider an interdisciplinary program like Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers. It teaches you the basics of AI and machine learning through a range of topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. After completing the theoretical aspects, you will apply your learnings and build a practical project. This project can deal with and solve a real-world physics challenge using technology. 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.
Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY
Cost: $675
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 24 students per grade level
Dates: June 30 to July 10, tentative
Application Deadline: First come, first served
Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 and 8
The Science Exploration Program is for 7th and 8th graders to study science. In particular, 7th graders will study a range of science subjects, such as physics, chemistry, microbiology and ecology. The program is designed with an emphasis on research and experimentation. In a lab setting, you read, complete computer research, write, and perform group work. The rigorous coursework prepares you for high-school level academics. Thus, you will not only develop practical skills but also a strong foundation of science knowledge.
Location: Columbia University, New York, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates:
Summer session: July 6 – 31
Academic year session: October – May
Application Deadline:
Summer: April 15
Academic year: November 1
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–12 interested in medicine or related STEM fields, with at least an 80% grade average, especially in math and science
This is a high school and college preparatory program, so you can expect it to be rigorous. Designed for students interested in a career in medicine or STEM, you will encounter a range of STEM subjects. Some topics covered by the program include Anatomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Brain & Cognitive Science, Ready for PreMed, Physics, Psychology, Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Statistics. The course aims to increase student participation in STEM. In addition, you receive support with preparing for standardized tests. Participating in this program makes you eligible to apply for other rigorous programs in the future.
Location: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
Cost: $1,005 plus $825 residential fee
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: July 19 – 24
Application Deadline: One week before the start date
Eligibility: Students in grades 6–8 who meet the Emerald tier eligibility criteria
Northwestern CTD’s programs are tailored toward advanced students and allows them to learn specific subjects based on their interests. In this week-long program, you will learn the mechanics of roller coasters. The course covers a range of related topics such as potential and kinetic energy, gravity, velocity, acceleration, and friction. You will complete engineering challenges to understand the practical application of theoretical topics. By the end of the program, you will design and build your own roller coaster prototype.
Location: In-person or online
Cost: Varies according to modality; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16–18 students
Dates: To be announced
Application Deadline: To be announced
Eligibility: Students in grades 7–11 with CTY-level quantitative scores
Johns Hopkins’s CTY also offers numerous programs covering different subjects for you to choose from. In this program, you will engage with interesting questions about sports and the physics that supports it. You learn topics such as kinematics, dynamics, momentum, energy, and power. You also perform experiments and see these physics principles in action. Thus, you learn physics through lectures, hands-on activities, labs, simulations, mathematical problem sets, and research projects.
Location: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
Cost: $1,045 commuter (includes lunches) or $2,100 residential
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: June 22 – 26 or July 6 – 10
Application Deadline: May 8
Eligibility: Students in grades 7 or 8 who meet the ACT, SAT, or CogAT score requirements
This is a one-week program for academically talented middle schoolers. You will engage with an advanced STEM curriculum through three classes. The course emphasizes math, science, and technology as well as their real-world applications. You focus on an intensive subject and conduct interdisciplinary research. A link is also established between what you learn and career pathways. The coursework is expected to be rigorous and challenging.
Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
Cost: $1,550; financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates:
Session 2: June 22 – 26
Session 3: July 6 – 10
Session 5: July 20 – 24
Session 6: July 27 – 31
Application Deadline: Varies by session
Eligibility: Rising 7th–9th graders
In this program on engineering, you can expect to encounter physics principles and their application. You discover how engineers and designers devise creative solutions for real-world problems. You go through the engineering process, including testing and iterating. The practical application involves designing and building bridges, solar- and wind-powered farming solutions, a solar suitcase, and other projects. You also tour the engineering lab and meet with STEM professionals. The program concludes with a presentation session.
Location: New York City, NY
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: July 6 – 31
Application Deadline: May 15
Eligibility: Rising 7th and 8th graders who are residents of NYC
In SONYC, you learn about the physics of sound by studying sound waves and noise pollution. You sample sounds from around NYC and understand how sound affects local communities. This program also teaches you electronics and coding. You use this knowledge to build sound monitoring devices. The program introduces you to the urban and pollution dimension of sound as well as how it affects well-being. By the end of the program, you will build smart-city technologies that you present at an end-of-program expo.
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.
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