Boston University’s Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program is a selective six-week summer experience for rising high school seniors interested in STEM. Students choose between two tracks: the Internship Track, where they work full-time in BU labs alongside faculty and graduate mentors, and the Practicum Track, which combines lectures with structured group research in computational neurobiology or data science. Both tracks include weekly workshops, industry exposure, and culminate in a Poster Symposium where students present their work. The program has run for over 40 years and is considered a strong stepping stone for students pursuing research and competitive college applications.
Designing studies, testing hypotheses, and drawing evidence-based conclusions.
Writing code to build software, automate tasks, or bring an idea to life on a screen.
Making sense of numbers and datasets to find patterns, test ideas, and support decisions.
Running experiments safely and accurately using real scientific equipment and procedures.
Delivering ideas clearly and confidently in front of an audience.
Breaking down a challenge and working through it methodically to a solution.
Students conduct hands-on research in BU labs with faculty mentors, directly mirroring medical research work.
Practicum track explicitly offers structured research in data science alongside computational methods.
Computational neurobiology track involves programming and technical problem-solving in research environments.
Six-week lab experience with faculty mentors prepares students for academic research careers.
Community Experiences
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