12 Biology Summer Programs for High School Students in Texas
If you are a high school student interested in biology, summer programs can be a great way to learn more about the field. These programs allow you to work on various projects that interest you, learn from university faculty, and network with the community. You can better understand how biology applies to fields such as healthcare and genetics, and develop essential analysis, research, and problem-solving skills.
Texas offers multiple programs at universities and research institutes that provide accessible summer programs for high school students. These programs offer convenient access to local opportunities to in-state students and out-of-state students who wish to study in the state can experience Texas’s academic opportunities before college. Regardless of your interests, these programs can help you learn more about the field and strengthen your profile for future academic and career opportunities.
To help with your search, here’s a list of 12 biology summer programs for high school students in Texas.
1. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program
Location: Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX
Stipend: $750
Dates: June 22 – August 7
Application Deadline: February 24
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 17 years of age
The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program at Texas Tech University is a seven-week intensive summer research program for twelve highly qualified high school juniors and seniors. You’ll engage in research both on campus and at the Health Science Centre with Texas Tech faculty. You’ll participate in seminars, group discussions, and go on field trips. You can choose from multiple research areas, including Cellular Biology, Microbiology, and Cancer Biology. You’ll receive a stipend award after completing your research project report. Check past research projects here.
2. Veritas AI's AI+Medicine Deep Dive Track
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies based on program type
Dates: Multiple 8-week cohorts throughout the year, including Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter
Application Deadline: Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: Open to high school students who have prior experience with AI/ML or have completed a Veritas AI program
Veritas AI is an AI program for ambitious high school students, founded and run by Harvard graduate students. In the AI + Medicine Deep Dive, you will learn how AI is used in the healthcare and medical industry. You will also get a chance to work on projects using AI & ML models to diagnose diseases, sharpen medical scans, and explain their outcomes to aid doctors and patients. Here is the program brochure and the application form.
3. MD Anderson Division of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Medicine (DACCPM) - Summer Research Program
Location: MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX
Cost: Free
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: January 20
Eligibility: High school students who are 18 years or older
The DACCPM Summer Program at MD Anderson is a ten-week intensive internship for high school students. You will work full-time on an ongoing research project assigned by your faculty mentor, and learn core research skills, including bench techniques, clinical protocols, data collection, and literature reviews. Finally, you will showcase your research findings to the MD Anderson research community and submit your written abstracts to be published in the CATALYST Summer Program abstract book.
4. Lumiere’s Biology Track
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies based on program type
Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
The program pairs high-school students with PhD 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.
5. UT Health San Antonio Greehey CCRI Donald G McEwen Memorial Summer Research Program
Location: UT Health, Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute, San Antonio, TX
Stipend: Stipend provided
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Must be at least 16 years old on the program start date
The Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute’s (Greehey CCRI) High School Summer Research Program is a ten-week summer opportunity for high school students to engage in hypothesis-driven research on childhood cancer. You’ll be introduced to techniques and model systems in both basic and translational research. You’ll work in UT lab facilities and gain experience with methods in genomics, proteomics, bioinformatics, structural biology, classical genetics, and molecular imaging. You’ll present your findings at the research symposium.
6. MD Anderson Cancer Center - High School Summer Program in the Biomedical Sciences
Location: MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX
Stipend: $6,800
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: January 15
Eligibility: High school seniors in a Texas public, private, charter, or home high school who are 18 or older by the first day of the program. For full details, check here.
The Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation High School Summer Program is a ten-week summer program for high school students interested in biomedical science. During the program, you’ll work at MD Anderson Cancer Centre, which is recognized as one of the top cancer research and treatment institutions in the country. You’ll learn the foundational principles of scientific investigation, working in the laboratory five days a week. In addition to lab work, you’ll attend seminars on research topics and participate in poster, abstract, and elevator speech competitions. Finally, you’ll share your experiences at the end of the program presentation.
7. MLSI – Mohanlab Summer Internship Program for High School students
Location: MohanLab, University of Houston, Houston, TX
Stipend: None
Program dates: June 8 – July 31
Application deadline: March 26
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors
The Mohanlab Summer Internship Program for High School students is a ten-week summer research experience for high school students interested in the biomedical sciences, biomedical engineering, big data analytics, and neuroscience. You’ll learn basic lab techniques in the first two weeks. Then, for the next eight weeks, you’ll engage in research under the supervision of a scientist or graduate student. At the end, you’ll present your research findings as an oral presentation. You’ll also have the option of continuing your research with the lab, beyond the internship period, engaging in manuscript writing and/or data analysis.
8. MD Anderson Cancer Center - UPWARDS Summer Program
Location: MD Anderson Cancer Centre, Houston, TX
Stipend: $6,800
Dates: June 2 – August 8
Application Deadline: January 20
Eligibility: At least 18 years old by June 1 and an incoming senior, a local high school student, and identifies as economically or educationally disadvantaged, with disabilities, or a first-generation student.
The UPWARDS Summer Program at MD Anderson Cancer Centre is a rigorous ten-week research training program designed for underserved high school students interested in a career in cancer research and biomedical science. You’ll collaborate with MD Anderson faculty on research projects in the lab. The program also includes coursework, lectures, and professional development activities. At the conclusion of summer, you’ll present your research at the CATALYST poster symposium.
9. The High School Emerging Researcher Experience
Location: Main Houston Methodist Hospital campus at the Texas Medical Centre, Houston, TX
Cost: None
Program dates: June 8 – July 31
Application deadline: January 30
Eligibility: High school juniors and seniors who are at least 16 and have a minimum 3.5 GPA
The High School Emerging Researcher Experience, part of the Undergraduate Research Internship Program, is an eight-week summer research opportunity for high school students interested in translational research. You’ll work on an assigned summer project, alongside undergraduate research interns, to gain experience in the research process. Houston Methodist's faculty will guide you through your summer projects and provide instruction on the laboratory techniques necessary for completion. The program concludes with a research symposium, where you’ll give poster presentations. Additionally, you’ll participate in career and professional development workshops, sporting events, seminars, and didactic lectures.
10. High School Research Academy (HSRA)
Location: University of Texas at Austin, TX (non-residential)
Cost/Stipend: Need-based scholarships available, including stipend and free tuition
Dates: June 9 – July 16
Application Deadline: March 23
Eligibility: High school students aged 15+ by June 1 with an interest in STEM fields
The HSRA Summer Program provides a five-week research experience for high school students at UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences. You will become part of an active lab, engaging in research across fields like molecular biology, neuroscience, environmental science, or genome engineering. The program provides UT extension course credit and features weekly seminars on emerging STEM topics and professional growth. With faculty mentorship, you’ll prepare and showcase a research poster at the closing symposium, building skills in scientific presentation and communication.
11. BioTechnology Academy
Location: University of Houston, Houston, TX
Cost: $400
Dates: June 9 - 13
Application Deadline: June 6
Eligibility: Students entering 9th–12th grade in the Fall
The Summer Molecular Biology and Coding Program at the University of Houston is a one-week program by the UH STEM Centre, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, and Department of Biology and Biochemistry. You’ll work at the UH Biochemistry laboratories with faculty from the UH Department of Biology and Biochemistry. Research topics include Molecular Biology, Drug Discovery, Protein Docking Scenarios, Binding Drug Molecules, Molecular Structure Visualization, Coding and Algorithms, Chemical Biology, and Physics. You’ll work directly with UH Mentors who are undergraduate and graduate students, take theoretical and practical lessons, and build skills for a future drug discovery career in BioTechnology.
12. Rice Bio Academies
Location: Rice University, Houston, TX
Cost: $499/week
Dates: Biotech: July 7-11, Biomed: July 14-18
Application Deadline: April 18
Eligibility: High school students currently in grades 9-11
The Rice Bio Academies is a one-week summer experience for high school students. You can choose from two focused sections: Biotech and Biomed. You’ll participate in STEM activities and project-based design challenges. Activities include DNA extraction and analysis, micropipetting, bacterial transformation, and PTC gene testing. You’ll be led by Rice University faculty and graduate students in the lab and gain a firsthand understanding of research tools. Throughout both tracks, you’ll engage in interactive labs and team-based challenges. You’ll connect with professionals and explore future STEM careers.
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