The Neuroscience Mentorship Program (NMP) is a 5-week summer program that provides high school students the opportunity to develop areas of research interest within neuroscience. This free virtual program is a valuable tool for aspiring neuroscientists (like you!) to explore the world of neuroscience with resources that have been, and will always be, available. Each student will be paired with an accomplished mentor to pursue an independent research project.
The program is fully virtual and flexible. Students participating in NMP are expected to dedicate around 10-20 hours per week on the program, but this requirement is very flexible. In addition, students must be available for most of the virtual program dates: 7/5/22 - 8/5/22.
Finally, a note for our international applicants: we are a U.S.-based organization, and our curriculum is tailored to fit in the U.S. public education system; there may be differences in curriculum from what you expect. For the your best experience, international students should have good English proficiency.
There are absolutely no other requirements. We currently expect to be able to accommodate all interested students. However, if spots do become limited, preference will be given to:
- Students underrepresented in neuroscience or higher education in the U.S.;
- Upperclassmen who have never had the opportunity to participate in formal scientific projects; and
- Students who are not taking part in another summer internship or are unable to participate in enriching summer activities (e.g. those who have to take care of siblings or family members for an extended period of time, have summer work commitments that bars one from taking part in career-oriented activities, among others).
This program will feature one weekly journal club and one weekly lecture for all students, which will be recorded. Every week, during journal clubs, groups of students will present a research paper that they find intriguing to a group of students participating in NMP. This presentation will be created with the help of your mentor(s). In addition, there will be weekly check-ins with your mentor on the progress of your project. During the last week of the program, each student will present their individual project in a 10 to 15-minute presentation.
In conjunction with the presentation, each student will submit--and keep--a project paper that can be used as a research supplement in college or other applications. Some students in the past have submitted their papers into student journals, which is great! However, keep in mind that the central focus of this program is first and foremost on enabling students to think carefully, deeply, and playfully as a scientist.
We will provide support for students to continue in scientific research by helping students applying to research programs at universities or volunteering in an academic lab upon completion of the program.
