10 STEM Programs for High School Students in Wisconsin
If you’re a high school student interested in STEM, consider applying for a STEM summer program. There are various options available, from academic enrichment programs to research internships. Each offers benefits such as enhancing your knowledge beyond your school curriculum and giving you experience in scientific research. You will work with professors or scientists who could go on to become long-term mentors.
Besides increasing your knowledge and skills, STEM programs provide opportunities to work on tangible projects like scientific papers or poster presentations. Such work demonstrates your abilities to college admissions officers and could improve your college applications.
If you’re a high schooler looking for a STEM program in Wisconsin, here are 10 options that you should consider:
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
Program Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring.
Cost: Full financial aid is available!
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Location: University of Wisconsin – Madison, Madison, WI
Cost: Free
Program Dates: The program generally takes place between July and August
Application Deadline: The deadline is generally sometime in March
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors who have completed at least one year of algebra and geometry and have a minimum 3.0 GPA of 4.0.
The Engineering Summer Program is a three-week residential program for high school students interested in engineering. The program examines four key areas—math, chemistry, physics, and introductory engineering design. You can expect plenty of hands-on work in design and industry visits to companies like Alliant Energy or Rockwell Automation. The program includes group study sessions, professional development workshops, and faculty mentoring sessions. This is a solid opportunity to attend a beginner course in engineering while getting a taste of life at university.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $2,290 for the 10-week AI Scholars program | $5,400 for the 15-week AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase | $6,900 for both. Need-based financial aid is available for AI Scholars. You can apply here.
Application deadline: On a rolling basis. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Program dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter.
Eligibility: Ambitious high school students located anywhere in the world. AI Fellowship applicants should either have completed the AI Scholars program or exhibit experience with AI concepts or Python.
Veritas AI offers summer programs for high school students interested in computer science. The programs explore artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science in particular. You can either choose the AI Scholars program, which is an introductory bootcamp for beginners, or the AI Fellowship program, a more advanced track where you work on an individual project alongside 1-on-1 mentorship. The projects generally dive into the intersection of AI with other fields like economics, medicine, environmental science, education, and more. You can go through some examples of past projects here.
Location: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Stipend: $1,000
Program Dates: June 16 – August 6
Application Deadline: 11:59 pm on February 23
Eligibility: Current sophomores and juniors at least 16 years of age in the Madison Metropolitan School District.
The LEAP Forward internship offers a 6-week paid internship for high school students interested in the health sciences. As an intern, you will be matched with a host site on campus. Each host site focuses on an area such as public health, veterinary medicine, mental health, cell division, and antibiotics. The program emphasizes practical experience. It also includes campus tours, workshops, and guest speakers. In addition to the stipend, you will receive 5 MMSD Experiential Learning Credits and 1 UW-Madison Independent Study Credit.
Location: University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, Green Bay, WI
Stipend: $1,500
Program Dates: 120 hours throughout the summer (specific dates to be determined)
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: All current high school students. Preference is given to students enrolled in a UW-System school.
The High School Freshwater Summer Scholars internship at UW-Green Bay offers a research experience in water science. You will be matched with a UW-Green Bay faculty mentor and contribute to their freshwater-centered research. You will participate in 120 hours of active research and spend significant time in labs and outdoors. During the program, you will also explore water science careers and present a poster of your research at the annual Lakeshore Water Summit.
Location: Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
Stipend: A stipend is provided, but the amount has not been disclosed
Program Dates: June 16 – August 1
Application Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising juniors, seniors, or June graduates who are at least 16 years old, US citizens or permanent residents, have a minimum 3.0 GPA in math and science, are from an ethnically, economically, and/or educationally disadvantaged background, and attend a high school in the Milwaukee Public System (MPS), Milwaukee charter school, Milwaukee area private school, or surrounding suburban school district.
ROADS is a research program for high school students interested in math, science, and biomedicine. This commuter program aims to encourage students from underrepresented groups to pursue a career in medicine, biomedical science, or allied health. As an intern, you will assist an MCW principal investigator on their research project. As part of the research team, you will engage in lab work, develop an abstract, and present your findings. The program also involves group activities and a field trip.
Location: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Stipend: A stipend is provided, but the amount has not been disclosed
Program Dates: The program generally runs from mid-June to mid-July for 6 weeks
Application Deadline: March 4
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors with a strong academic record
Organized by the university’s Department of Surgery, the Surgery Clinical Research Continuum is a 6-week internship that focuses on clinical research. You will spend 20-25 hours per week contributing to ongoing research, working with clinical data and assisting in trials of a new medical drug or device. You can go through the research project topics here. Additionally, the program allows you to practice simulated surgery skills, observe procedures, tour different facilities, and attend educational sessions by physicians and other healthcare providers. Previous program iterations have included CPR training, a med flight helipad tour, and a suturing workshop.
Location: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
Cost: Free
Program Dates: TBA. The program runs for 9 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: Current high school juniors at an MMSD high school
Organized through a collaboration between the MMSD and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, this program offers research experience. You will be paired with a UW-Madison researcher and engage in lab work. You can choose which department to work in, from astrophysics, chemistry, botany, radiology, physics, cancer research, computer engineering, and more. At the end of the program, you will design a scientific poster based on your work and present it at a poster session. You can go through an alumni testimonial here to better understand how it works!
Application deadline: Students are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors and seniors
Program dates: July 9 – July 14
Location: Milwaukee School of Engineering
Fee: $950. Scholarships are available
In this program, women in high school spend a week exploring the different engineering majors for help in picking a career path. You will get experience in various majors, including architectural, biomedical, biomolecular, civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering. Apart from looking at two majors per day, you will take industry tours and learn about women in the field of engineering.
Application deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Rising juniors and seniors who are at least 16 years of age, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, and come from an underrepresented background
Program dates: June 26 – August 4
Location: Medical College of Wisconsin
Stipend: A stipend of an unspecified amount is paid at the end of the program
AIM is ideal for high schoolers interested in medicine who want to gain practical experience. The program includes lectures, research, and hands-on work. You will participate in weekly clinical shadowing and get an introduction to suture clinics, heart dissections, and medical simulations. By the end of the six weeks, you will develop an abstract and deliver an oral presentation. The program also offers a course certificate of completion!
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD 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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