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Applications are due by March 31, 2024.

This year commemorates the 10th year of CU Science Discovery's STEM Research Experience! In this 6-week program, CU Boulder and CU Anschutz faculty and graduate students act as mentors to highly motivated high school students interested in gaining real world laboratory experience. Each mentor works with two students based on research interest.

Students are expected to work in their Mentor's lab on assigned research projects approximately 15-20 hours a week (Monday-Friday). Work schedules may vary among different labs. Readings and assignments may be assigned prior to the start of the program.

As part of the STEM Research Experience program, participants will be taking part in a Research Methods class which will prepare them to be productive members of the research community. This course will focus on research topics such as how to find and read scientific articles, how to determine the validity of data and good writing techniques.

Program participants will learn: 

  • What it's like to be a scientific researcher 
  • How to become a research scientist 
  • The process by which research is conducted
  • How to probe data for answers to important questions

Course details:

  • All applicants must be 16 years of age by the start date of the program on June 7, 2024. No exceptions will be made.   
  • Dates: 
    • June 7-July 26, 2024 (with optional work the week of July 1-5); Poster Session: July 26, 2024 
  • Cost: $1,995 and includes the following:
    • Daily parking permit or bus pass (CU Anschutz Medical campus only). Note: Parking permits will not be issued for the CU Boulder campus. Alternative transportation is encouraged.
    • A materials fee to offset all lab materials used by participants
    • The cost of a research quality poster to present at the culminating poster session
    • Research Methods class
    • Note: This is a commuter program and does not offer residential accommodations. Program administrators are not permitted to offer recommendations on accommodations. 
    • Overseas applicants will be required to show proof of Visa prior to registering for the course. CU does not have a process in place to assist students in obtaining a Visa for this non-degree seeking program.
  • Course participants will be grouped by research interest and assigned a mentor that will guide them through the learning experience. Outside of class time, students will meet with mentors in the research lab to discuss research topics, learn techniques and perform research.
  • Between live class time, Mentor + Student group meetings and completing independent research, this course will require approximately 15-20 hours each week.
  • The course will conclude with a STEM Research Expo where each student will prepare a poster presentation for family, friends and fellow researchers to enjoy. As an added bonus, participants will be encouraged to publish their work in scientific journals focused on High School researchers.

Examples of past research topics include:

Note: This list is provided to give applicants an idea of what topics have been offered in past years. Each year this program relies on the willingness of graduate students to participate in the program. A such, Science Discovery cannot guarantee that a specific research topic will be offered in any given year. Topics chosen are based upon the research fields represented by the mentors who have agreed to participate. High school applicants will be accepted and placed based on their interests.

  • Aerospace Engineering Sciences
  • Bioengineering
  • Biology
  • Biophysics and Biochemistry
  • Chemistry
  • Computational Biology
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  • Electrical, Computer and Energy Engineering
  • Engineering 
  • Geological Sciences
  • Hydrology 
  • Immunology 
  • Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Medicine 
  • Microbiology 
  • Neuroscience
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Pulmonary Science and Critical Medicine
  • Renal

Application process: 

Click Here to Apply

Submit Reference Here

Applications are due by March 31, 2024, and applicants will be notified of their status by April 5, 2024. If you are not selected in the first round, you may be placed on a waitlist. Waitlisted students will be informed as soon as possible if a spot becomes available.

Admission to the STEM Research Experience is through a competitive application process. All admission decisions are made by CU Science Discovery and are considered final. Payment will be required upon admittance to the program. Once a student has been registered and payment has been accepted, the registrant is committed to taking the spot - as a result, no refund will be issued in the event of a cancellation. Please consider this when determining whether or not to accept a spot.  

Important note for participants: Participants will not be permitted to select specific research projects, mentors, or topics in advance and should be open to doing a project with any of our mentors. It will be necessary for all applicants to enter this program with an open mind and a willingness to explore any number of STEM research fields. Students placed on the CU Anschutz campus will be matched with mentors prior to June 7 and will need to be responsive to emails requesting information. Students on the CU Boulder campus will attend the orientation on June 7 and participate in a “science speed dating” activity where they will meet all participating mentors and hear about their projects.

Science Discovery will do its best to match applicants with preferred mentors, but specific projects or mentors cannot be guaranteed. 

To reiterate, this is NOT a residential program.

For additional information, contact Kathryn Penzkover via email.