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BioSTAR: Bioengineering Science, Technology And Research

Dates: July 17 - 21, 2023

Location: Science and Engineering Complex (SEC), 150 Western Ave, Allston MA  

Application: online here | deadline: May 5th, 2023

The program application requires basic contact information, the name of a reference for us to contact (teacher/counselor), and a series of short-answer essays questions:

  1. Clearly state your interests in this program. Elaborate on how this program might influence your future studies, research, and/or academic pursuits. Where applicable, be sure to include any courses or experiences that could relate to this program. Please do not exceed 300 words.

  2. What are some topics in the life sciences that you are most excited about? This could be something you learned about in class, on the news, etc., that you’re curious about. Please do not exceed 300 words.

  3. Tell us about a favorite class you’ve taken and why you liked it. (The class does not have to be a science class!) Please do not exceed 200 words.

The BioSTAR summer program is designed to introduce talented and self-motivated high school students to Bioengineering education at Harvard University. Students will learn bioengineering principles and techniques in a state-of-the-art research lab at the engineering campus in Allston. In addition to designing and performing research experiments, students will engage with Harvard faculty and researchers to gain an in-depth understanding of how bioengineering has an impact on human health.

Program Overview​​​​​​​

BioSTAR is a free community outreach program and will run Monday - Friday from 9:30AM - 4PM. Housing and transportation to and from the SEC are not provided by Harvard University.  Students must be at least 16 years old to participate. Harvard University requires all participants to have received FDA- or WHO-authorized COVID-19 vaccinations and one booster.  Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until May 31st.  Admission is highly competitive, and applicants are evaluated based on their enthusiasm for learning (versus prior experience). We encourage local high school students who are interested in life sciences to apply.

Topics covered in the program include:

  • 3D culturing of mammalian cancer cells
  • Drug delivery techniques
  • Nanoparticle synthesis using microfluidics
  • Cell staining and visualization using fluorescence microscopy
  • Cell viability assay
  • Data collection and analysis

Questions? Contact: mhancock@g.harvard.edu

 

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