Summer Opportunities in Science & Engineering
The following is an abbreviated list of summer programs available nationally and in Texas for students interested in science and engineering. Nearly all of these are residential programs – they require that the student live at the college or university where the program is offered. It is neither complete nor can we give personal recommendations as to which camps are best! The majority of these programs are for Upper School students, although there are two summer programs for Middle School students at the bottom.
Every state has similar programs at both private and public universities and colleges. By no means should you stop at this list. If you have a close relative or friend in another city with a notable university or college, go to their website and look for similar summer programs. Be sure to check whether the program is residential (has room and board on campus) or is a commuter camp, requiring you or your child to have a home and transportation. Above all, look less at the institution and more at whether the program is a good fit for your child and his or her interests.
If you do attend one of these camps, we would love to hear about the experience – the good, the bad and the ugly! If you have a son or daughter who has attended one of these in the past, please let us know if it was worthwhile. And if you find another camp that you think worthy of being included on this list, please pass that on as well. Good luck! Go Science!
Opportunities for Upper School Students
Opportunities for Middle School Students
SUMMER PROGRAMS for UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS
Vanderbilt University Summer Academy (VSA)
What: One-week, two-week, and three-week residential courses taught by university instructors for students going into grades 8-12. Courses available include Forensic Chemistry, Astronomy, Biology and Field Ecology, Medicine and Literature, Nanotechnology, Nano-Engineering, Engineering 101, Med School 101, and other courses in math, history, language arts and religion.
Who: Course available depends on grade level; one-week residential courses are for rising 8th graders; two-week courses for 9th and 10th; three-week classes for rising juniors and seniors.
Where: Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee
Deadline: Applications are due March 29 or April 26 deadlines, depending on program; see website for details
Website: http://pty.vanderbilt.edu/vsa/
Vanderbilt University: PAVE Program
What: 6-week summer course designed to “strengthen the academic skills of students who are planning to enter a college engineering, pre-medical, science or technology program.” Students who show exceptional ability but have not yet been admitted to Vanderbilt, will be considered for admission for the following academic year.
Who: rising seniors and just-graduated seniors, prior to starting college/university
Where: Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee
Deadline: Applications already available; final deadline, April 20; rolling admissions
Website: https://pave.vanderbilt.edu/ayindex.php
Sewanee Bridge Program in Math and Science
What: 3-week residential program in science (physics, astronomy), math (calculus), and computer science
Who: for students whose “backgrounds and experiences would contribute to and enrich the diversity within our academic community.”
Where: Sewanee, Tennessee
Deadline: April 1, 2013; applications already available. See website for more information.
Website: http://www.sewanee.edu/bridgeprogram/info.html
Summer at Brown
What: One, two and three-week courses in a wide variety of topics. Seven-week college credit courses also available, as are online pre-college courses.
Who: Shorter courses available for students from freshman through senior level; college credit courses available to rising seniors and graduated seniors.
Where: Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island
Deadline: Rolling admissions – there are no official deadlines. However, popular courses fill up quickly during the spring semester. Applications for 2013 are open.
Website: http://www.brown.edu/scs/pre-college/
SEA High School Summer Seminars
What: Sea Education Association, the same group that sponsors the undergraduate college program “SEA Semester” also has a summer high school program. Science At Sea is a 17-day program containing both a shore component (classes and labs onshore) and a sea component (lessons out at sea aboard one of the Woods Hole oceanographic sailing vessels). SEA Education also sponsors one or two “High school seminar” courses on specific topics during the summer; these also have both shore and sea components.
Who: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors interested in marine biology and oceanography careers
Where: Woods Hole, Massachusetts
Deadline: Applications are reviewed on 4 dates between December and April (see website); rolling admissions may be available thereafter. Applications for 2013 are available online.
Website: http://www.sea.edu/academics/high_school_programs
High School Aerospace Scholars @ NASA Johnson Space Center
What: Selective group of students chosen by NASA and state legislators participate in web-based lessons during the school year followed by 6-day summer experience at NASA (all expenses paid) including team projects with NASA engineers and mentors
Who: Only interested Texas high school juniors can apply
Where: Online at home, followed by one week at Johnson Space Center in Clearlake, TX
Deadline: Applications are made in the fall of junior year, deadline usually in December. Note: this application requires a letter from a state legislator; instructions on how to apply for this letter are also on the website. Long process, but looks like a great experience.
Website: http://has.aerospacescholars.org/
Contact: jsc-mas@mail.nasa.gov
Summer Science Program
What: 72 students nationally and internationally selected to participate. By day, students take college-level courses in astronomy, physics, and calculus. At night, students work in teams, making telescopic observations of asteroids. Guest speakers and field trips included in curriculum.
Who: High school juniors, at least 15-years-old but under 18, taking calculus or pre-calculus. Sophomores may apply, but are encouraged to wait until post-junior year.
Where: Two campuses: New Mexico’s Institute of Mining and Technology in Socorro, NM and Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. Each campus admits 36 students.
Deadline: No official deadline; applications are open.
Website: http://www.summerscience.org/home/index.php
Summer College in Biotechnology and Life Sciences
What: Four-week sessions for students interested in experiencing college-level work in science, particularly biology and chemistry. Students earn college credit hours while getting an introduction to the college experience.
Who: Rising juniors and seniors; rising sophomores accepted “with proof of exceptional ability and interest in science and math.”
Where: North Carolina State University
Deadline: applications should open in January; deadline varies, check website
Website: http://harvest.cals.ncsu.edu/academic/index.cfm?pageID=1975
MD Anderson High School Summer Program in Biomedical Sciences
What: Eight-week program
Who: Graduating seniors only. Selected students work from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in MD Anderson research laboratories with researchers on a specific project. Program includes bi-weekly seminars, tour of the research center and a final presentation.
Where: MD Anderson Cancer Research Center in Houston, Texas
Deadline: February 16, 2013. Selections are made in mid-April.
Website: http://www.mdanderson.org/education-and-research/education-and-training/schools-and-programs/summer-science-programs/high-school-summer-program.html
Baylor High School Summer Research Program
What: Selected students spend one month at Baylor University working on specific topics with professors in their research labs. Students learn new laboratory techniques, are involved in “real world” research problems, and attend seminars on campus
Who: Rising seniors (current juniors) interested in scientific research, principally in biology and chemistry.
Where: Baylor University in Waco, Texas
Deadline: March 1, 2012; check website for more details
Website: http://www.baylor.edu/summerscience/
Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University
What: Competitive seven-week program designed to give students the opportunity to work with professors on their research while also attending seminars and field trips. While students are invited to apply in many research areas, the majority of the faculty work in chemistry, physics, math and engineering. For research areas, go to http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/researchareas.htm
Who: Rising juniors and seniors
Where: Texas Tech, in Lubbock
Deadline: February 8, 2012 deadline; see website for details
Website: http://www.clarkscholars.ttu.edu/home.htm
The Rockefeller University Science Research Program
What: 7-week program designed to be a “total immersion” experience in laboratory research. Students should have high aptitude in life or physical science.
Who: Students must be 16-years-old at start of program to participate.
Where: New York, NY
Deadline: Applications are open; deadline in January 18, 2012.
Website: http://www.rockefeller.edu/outreach/
Smith College Summer Science and Engineering Program for High School Girls
What: Four-week program for high school girls interested in science, engineering, and medicine.
Who: Rising 9th through 12th grade girls
Where: Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts
Deadline: regular admission deadline April 30, 2013 applications are available online.
Website: http://www.smith.edu/summerprograms/ssep/index.php
Summer Programs at John Hopkins
What: Four-week college level courses for credit for motivated students. Credit hours are transferable to other colleges and universities. Residential students must sign up for two courses (at least 7 hours credit)
Who: Students who are at least 16 years old by June 30th and have completed their sophomore, junior or senior year. GPA must be at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
Where: John Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD
Deadline: Applications open on January 4, 2012. Residential applications have April 4 deadline.
Website: http://www.jhu.edu/summer/precollege/summer/index.html
Harvard Secondary School Program
What: 6-week program at Harvard; students take two 4-credit-hour college courses, choosing from over 300 courses offered. Very competitive.
Who: Rising juniors, seniors, and post-graduate
Where: Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Deadline: Applications open in December; rolling admissions. Application process is two-tiered; student must first apply and be accepted to Secondary School Program, then must apply for courses.
Website: http://www.summer.harvard.edu/programs/ssp/
High School Summer College at Stanford
What: Program for students who want to get a jump on their college education. These are 8- to 10-week long college course for college credit. Residential or commuter (if you know someone in the area).
Who: Must be 16 or 17 years of age. There is a second program for students 18-20 years of age who have not yet entered college.
Where: Stanford University in Palo Alto, California
Deadline: Applications open January 3; rolling admissions continues until May or beyond.
Website: http://www.summer.stanford.edu/programs/program/high-school-summer-college-16-17-years-of-age
Yale Summer Session
What: Five-week college-level courses for students wanting the Yale experience. Students are required to take two classes per session and live on campus. Yale is also beginning online pre-college courses; there are none, however, in science as of yet.
Who: Rising seniors and just-graduated seniors.
Where: Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut
Deadline: Website requires some searching for details. Applications are available in mid-January.
Website: http://www.yale.edu/summer/application/index.html
UT-Arlington Summer Engineering Program
What: One-week engineering and computer science programs designed to introduce students to the multiple disciplines within engineering. The program incorporates both classroom and lab lessons with visits to local engineering firms.
Who: Bridge and Access programs are for rising sophomores through seniors; camps are also available for middle school students (see below). Bridge is the residential program; Access program students must arrange living quarters separately or commute.
Where: UT-Arlington
Deadline: Final deadline for application is April 1 or 15 depending on session attending.
Website: http://www.uta.edu/engineering/summercamps/
Engineering Design Summer Camp at Colorado School of Mines
What: One-week engineering design camp for students interested in any type of engineering. The design process is taken from inception of idea, to testing a prototype, and finally marketing.
Who: High school students who have completed the 9th grade.
Where: Golden, Colorado. Drawback – this is not a residential camp; must have a place to stay in or near Golden, Colorado. Still, it’s a great opportunity!
Deadline: see website; registration is open
Website: http://epics.mines.edu/Engineering-Design-Summer-Camp
SUMMER PROGRAMS for MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS
Vanderbilt University Summer Academy (VSA)
What: One-week, two-week, and three-week residential courses taught by university instructors for students going into grades 8-12. Courses available include Forensic Chemistry, Astronomy, Biology and Field Ecology, Medicine and Literature, Nanotechnology, Nano-Engineering, Engineering 101, Med School 101, and other courses in math, history, language arts and religion.
Who: Courses available depends on grade level; one-week residential courses are for rising 8th graders; two-week courses for 9th and 10th; three-week classes for rising juniors and seniors.
Where: Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee
Deadline: March 29 or April 26 deadlines, depending on program; see website for details
Website: http://pty.vanderbilt.edu/vsa/
UT-Arlington Summer Engineering Program
What: One-week engineering and computer science programs designed to introduce students to the multiple disciplines within engineering. The program incorporates both classroom and lab lessons with visits to local engineering firms.
Who: The Gateway program is the residential program for rising 7th and 8th graders. There is a separate program for rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders that is non-residential; Entry program students must arrange living quarters separately or commute.
Where: UT-Arlington.
Deadline: April 1 or April 15 deadlines; see website
Website: http://www.uta.edu/engineering/summercamps/
