10 Summer Biology Programs for High-Achieving Middle School Students

Summer is a good time to explore and delve into various subjects. High-achieving middle schoolers interested in biology can opt for summer programs in the field. Here, you gain subject-specific knowledge and skills. You also interact with mentors and professionals with experience in biology.

You learn alongside like-minded students who become part of your network. These programs are designed with a rigorous curriculum to prepare you for advanced academics. Here are 10 programs for you to consider.

10 Summer Biology Programs for High-Achieving Middle School Students

1. Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program

Location: Virtual

Cost: Varies. Financial aid available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective

Dates: 8 weeks. Varies by cohort

Application Deadline: Varies by cohort

Eligibility: Stude

nts in grades 6 to 8

If you are looking to pursue biology research, consider participating in Lumiere’s Junior Explorer Program. You are paired with PhD mentors from prestigious universities, such as Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and Princeton, who are specialists in biology and related fields. During the program, you learn to read and interpret academic literature, build research questions, and create outputs such as a high school-level research paper or case study, thereby building crucial research skills. Through the feedback and writing coaching sessions, you can polish your scientific communication skills. You can also publish your research in academic journals by opting for the Junior Research and Publication Program.

2. Rosetta Institute’s Molecular Medicine Workshops

Location: Virtual or in person

Cost: $490 to $1,070. Scholarships available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective

Dates: Various sessions during the summer

Application Deadline: Rolling basis

Eligibility: High achieving middle and high school students aged 11 to 18

The Rosetta Institute offers a range of workshops on molecular medicine. You can choose from the FutureMD: Oncology, Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Medicinal Chemistry and Medical Bioinformatics tracks. All workshops are led by PhD-level instructors. You learn normal molecular and cellular biology as well as how these normal processes are disrupted or distorted during the development of disease. The program also delves into medicine development. You apply your learnings to develop an original research project on a gene or molecular process. 

3. Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers

Location: Virtual

Cost: Varies. Financial aid available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

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

Application Deadline: Rolling deadlines

Eligibility: Students in grades 6 to 8

Veritas AI’s AI Trailblazers program is an interdisciplinary program that allows you to blend technology with biology. In this program, you gain knowledge regarding the basics of AI and machine learning. The course covers a range of topics such as Python, data analysis, regression, image classification, neural networks, and AI ethics. After completing the theoretical segment, you apply your learnings to a practical project. The project must solve a real-world problem in a field of your choice, biology, in this case. 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. State Pre-College Enrichment Program (S-PREP)

Location: Columbia University, New York, NY

Cost/Stipend: None

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive

Dates: July 6 to July 31 for the summer session. October to May for the academic year session

Application Deadline: April 15 for summer. November 1 for the academic year

Eligibility: Students in grades 7 to 12 interested in medicine or related STEM fields with at least an 80 percent grade average, especially in math and science

S-PREP is a high school and college preparatory program. It is designed for students interested in medicine and related STEM fields. You attend classes in a range of STEM subjects, including Anatomy, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Brain & Cognitive Science, Ready for PreMed, Physics, Psychology, Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus and Statistics. The program also helps you prepare for standardized tests. Beyond academics, you participate in college preparation and career development workshops, college & academic counseling services, field trips, and college tours. Participating in this program makes you eligible to apply for other prestigious programs.

5. Ulysses S. Grant Foundation

Location: Yale University, New Haven, CT

Cost: $75. Full scholarships available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: 7 to 14 students per class

Dates: June 29 to July 30

Application Deadline: February 27

Eligibility: Middle school students enrolled in public or parochial schools in New Haven, CT

This 6-week program offers an interdisciplinary and rigorous curriculum. Meant for highly motivated middle schoolers, you encounter a range of subjects, including biology. In the mornings, you attend humanities and investigations classes. Humanities classes cover art, writing, poetry, and philosophy. Investigations classes cover biology, chemistry, finance, and architecture. In the afternoon, you take an elective class of your choice depending on your grade.

6. Stony Brook University’s Science Exploration Program

Location: Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY

Cost: $675

Acceptance rate/cohort size: 24 students per grade level

Dates: June 29 to July 9

Application Deadline: First come, first served

Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 or 8

The Science Exploration Program complements your school curriculum, encouraging you to think critically and conduct research. The course is lab-based and involves reading, computer searching, writing, and group work. Rising 7th graders learn lab skills. They explore subjects such as physics, chemistry, microbiology and ecology. Similarly, rising 8th graders biology, chemistry, biotechnology, and environmental chemistry through case studies on Cholera, Bioremediation and Genetics. The course emphasizes homeostasis and the environment. The skills you gain through this program prepare you for high school coursework.

7. Body Systems and Biomedical Innovations @ The Lawrence

Location: UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA

Cost: $1,550. Financial aid available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Dates: June 22 to June 26 for session 1. July 6 to July 10 for session 3. July 20 to July 24 for session 5. July 27 to July 31 for session 6

Application Deadline: Varies by session

Eligibility: Students entering grades 7 to 9

This program by The Lawrence teaches you how doctors diagnose and treat diseases. Through this program, you learn about body systems, investigate how some of these systems may break down, and explore how scientists and engineers are working to solve these problems. Thus, the program blends biology and engineering. Hands-on activities involve using diagnostic techniques to solve fictitious diseases, dissecting a sheep heart, and exploring blood vessels and cells in the Planetarium. You also meet and interact with medicine and other STEM professionals.

8. EXPLO 360°

Location: Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA

Cost: $6,295 for overnight students. $4,045 for day students. Financial aid available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Dates: Session 1 overnight: June 28 to July 11 | Session 1 day: June 29 to July 10 | Session 2 overnight: July 12 to July 25 | Session 2 day: July 13 to July 24

Application Deadline: To be announced

Eligibility: Rising students in grades 7 to 9

This is a unique program that you can personalize based on your interests. Here, you can step into various professions to determine which career path is suitable for you. You select two workshops and two electives. Workshops are hands-on and project-based, whereas electives focus on skills development. Students interested in biology can opt for the Brain Hackers: Decoding the Mind, Emergency Medicine, Forensic Science, Medicine: First Aid + Clinical Skills, and other tracks.

9. Georgetown University’s Medical Research: Clinical Trials Resulting in Medical Discoveries

Location: Online

Cost: $1,895. Scholarships available

Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified

Dates: Various sessions with different lengths available

Application Deadline: Varies by session

Eligibility: Students aged 13 and older

This program on medical research takes you through how researchers formulate, conduct, and evaluate the evidence they gather. You also develop your own medical research study using professional methods. You learn about evidence-based medicine as well as the ethical dimensions of research. The course has a specific emphasis on cancer and cancer treatment research. This program may be a good option for students interested in STEM, medical research, pharmaceuticals or medical school.

10. Johns Hopkins CTY’s Introduction to the Biomedical Sciences

Location: Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI. Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, CA

Cost: Dickinson College: $7,259 residential or $6,459 commuter, plus $180 in additional fees. Roger Williams University: $7,259 residential or $6,459 commuter, plus $180 in additional fees. Loyola Marymount University: $7,501 residential or $6,501 commuter, plus $180 in additional fees

Acceptance rate/cohort size: 18 to 20 students

Dates: June 28 to July 17 for session 1. July 19 to August 7 for session 2

Application Deadline: To be announced

Eligibility: Students in grades 7 and 8 with advanced CTY level math scores

This is an introductory course that teaches you about biology and medicine. You explore the anatomical and physiological mechanisms that determine human function. The theoretical aspect teaches you about homeostatic imbalances that cause diseases, diabetes, and the endocrine system, among other things. In the lab component, you learn techniques in histology, anatomy, biochemistry, and physiology, including dissections. By the end of the program, you will be able to read and critically examine scientific literature. 

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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