If you’re passionate about the sciences and are a domestic student currently in your junior year of high school, we invite you to apply for the Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program. You will spend six weeks at BU conducting university laboratory research with some of the nation’s brightest scientific minds while advancing your STEM knowledge and skills.
Two track choices (Internship or Practicum):
Internship (unpaid): You will spend 40 hours each week working on research projects under the mentorship of distinguished faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. Your mentor will help you acquire valuable technical and analytical skills while developing insight into the scientific process. You will choose from hands-on research opportunities in a variety of fields.
Throughout the six weeks of the program, you will participate in weekly workshops that provide insight into the scientific process, research ethics, reading a research paper, making a poster, and networking in the scientific community. You will also benefit from valuable sessions on college admission strategies and pre-professional health programs built into the experience.
Internship students will present their work at the RISE Poster Symposium. In some cases, research interns will submit their work to national science fair contests such as the Regeneron Science Talent Search.
Practicum: You will conduct group research on computational neurobiology in a university setting under the guidance of a BU instructor. Ideal for students who prefer a structured research environment, you will begin your days with a two-hour lecture from your instructor before continuing in the afternoon with four hours of group research. The experiments are designed to demonstrate procedures that are representative of university laboratory research in computational neurobiology.
In addition to workshops, you will participate in weekly activities such as industry site tours and research talks. While the Practicum has clearly outlined protocols and requires methodical and thorough collection, measurement, and synthesis of data, the final outcome of the research—as with all scientific research—cannot be predicted in advance. At the conclusion of the program, Practicum students will present their research alongside Internship track students at the RISE Poster Symposium.
Location(s)
- Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
Schedule
- Six weeks from early July to mid August
Cost/Compensation
- Residential Tuition: Approximately $8,000
- Commuter Tuition: Approximately $5,000
Eligibility Requirements
- Rising high school seniors (apply during junior year)
Deadline
- Mid February
Application or Entry Requirements
- A completed online application
- A high school transcript
- Standardized test scores
- An essay describing why you chose your subject of interest (300 words)
- An essay outlining your academic achievements (250 words)
- An essay explaining why you want to attend RISE (200 words)
- Two letters of recommendation (one science teacher and one counselor, teacher, or advisor)
- Internship applicants only: List of three faculty members you would like to work with and how their research aligns with your interests
- Non-refundable application fee
- Financial aid documents (if applicable)
Notifications of Decisions
- Practicum applicants: Around mid March
- Internship applicants:
- First-round notifications letting applicants know they are moving on to the internship match round: mid March
- Final-round notifications letting applicants know an internship match has been made: late May
Financial Aid Details
- Limited financial aid is available and based on need. Admission decisions are made without regard to financial aid consideration.
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
- Recommendations due in late February
Have other questions?
Boston University (BU) is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1839 and is one of the largest universities in the city, with over 33,000 undergraduate and graduate students. BU offers over 300 programs and is home to 12 schools and colleges: College of Arts & Sciences, College of Communication, College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, College of General Studies, College of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College, Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Arvind and Chandan Nandlal Kilachand Honors College, Questrom School of Business, School of Hospitality Administration, and Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. BU is also home to several research centers, including the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL), which conducts research on diseases such as Ebola and the Zika virus. The university places a strong emphasis on international education, offering over 90 study abroad programs in 30 countries.
