15 Science Programs for High School Students in Connecticut
If you are interested in STEM and want to go beyond classroom learning, joining a science program can be a smart step. These programs can expose you to scientific research, laboratory work, engineering projects, and practical applications of science, and offer opportunities to work with faculty members, researchers, and professionals while connecting with peers who share similar interests. Many are hosted by respected institutions and organizations, making them valuable experiences for students considering STEM majors.
Why should you attend a program in Connecticut?
Connecticut offers science programs through institutions like Yale University, UConn, and Wesleyan University. You could conduct biomedical or regenerative engineering research, study astrophysics using observatory telescopes, or work through a forensic science or robotics engineering course. Whether you live in Connecticut or are coming from out of state, you can find a program suited to your interests and experience level.
To help you explore your choices, we have narrowed down 15 science programs for high school students in Connecticut.
If you’re looking for summer programs in Connecticut, check out our blog here.
Key takeaways
These 15 science programs for high school students in Connecticut span biomedical and regenerative engineering (UConn, ASPIRE), astrophysics (Yale YSPA), forensic science (Quinnipiac), robotics, and marine science.
Several programs offer paid stipends, including ASPIRE ($3,000), UConn Health's HSRAP, and the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program ($3,000), while others like Yale's Pathways to Science and Wesleyan's Junior Fellow program are free.
Many UConn Pre-College Summer courses, including Robotics Engineering and AI in Biomedical Engineering, cost around $2,250 to $2,600, with need-based scholarships and early bird pricing available.
Remote options like Veritas AI and the Lumiere Research Scholar Program let students build AI and research skills globally, while several in-person programs are restricted to Connecticut residents or specific school districts.
1. University of Connecticut – A Scientific Program in Regenerative Engineering (ASPIRE)
Location: Farmington, CT (UConn Health)
Stipend: $3,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive; cohort size not specified
Dates: 6-week summer program (dates vary annually)
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students aged 16+ from Hartford Public Schools or Waterbury Public Schools
ASPIRE is a six-week, on-site summer program introducing you to regenerative engineering if you are 16 or older and attend a Hartford or Waterbury public school. You explore regenerative-engineering principles, research methods, cell work, biomaterials, 3D printing, societal impacts, and applications involving healthcare, sustainability, and other real-world challenges. You attend hands-on workshops and interactive lectures, shadow clinical laboratories, and join a collaborative learning club. You receive mentorship from UConn faculty, graduate and doctoral students, and staff. You build critical-thinking, problem-solving, communication, teamwork, confidence, and leadership skills.
2. Veritas AI
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically, 1:1 mentor-to-student ratio
Dates: Multiple 12-15-week cohorts throughout the year, including spring, summer, fall, and winter
Application Deadline: Rolling. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September), and Winter (November)
Eligibility: High school students worldwide; AI Fellowship applicants require AI or Python experience or completion of AI Scholars
Veritas AI is a virtual, project-based program founded by Harvard graduates that introduces high school students like you to the fast-growing field of artificial intelligence. You will explore a wide range of topics, including Python programming, foundational machine learning concepts, data analysis, neural networks, natural language processing, and AI applications in fields like medicine and finance. Throughout the program, you will collaborate with peers in bootcamp-style workshops, analyze real-world datasets, build your own independent AI models, and participate in one-on-one mentorship sessions. A unique feature of the program is that you receive personalized guidance directly from Ivy League PhDs and industry experts across flexible, global time zones. By the end, you will learn critical technical skills such as Python coding, data science techniques, and machine learning algorithm development, alongside essential research and analytical problem-solving abilities. Apply now!
3. UConn Health – High School Student Research Apprentice Program (HSRAP)
Location: Farmington, CT
Stipend: Paid, amount not disclosed
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; limited cohort sizes
Dates: June 15 – July 17
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Connecticut high school juniors (rising seniors); aged 16+; completed junior year with a ‘B’ average or higher; U.S. citizens or permanent residents
In this program, you spend five weeks as a research apprentice in a basic science or clinical lab, either at UConn Health in Farmington or at Central Connecticut State University. The work covers medicine, dental medicine, and biomedical research, with past projects spanning cardiology, bone and muscle biology, microbiology, and computer modelling of biological systems. You are matched with a faculty mentor, run experiments alongside graduate students and postdocs, and analyse your own results. You then build a poster and present it at the closing symposium, where college researchers present too. Unusually, you earn a stipend rather than paying a fee, though only Connecticut students may apply.
4. Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Location: Remote ; you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on the program type; full financial aid available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically 1:1 mentor-student ratio
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 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 (accepted students typically maintain an unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher)
As a high school student, you complete an independent project through Lumiere with one-to-one guidance from a PhD mentor. You can study biology, data science, mathematics, astrophysics, computer science, physics, neuroscience, medicine, chemistry, engineering, architecture, economics, psychology, business, gender studies, philosophy, international relations, environmental studies, history, education, sociology, law, classics, or linguistics. You can also customize a topic outside these areas. Across 12 weeks, you select a question, explore the subject, draft a paper, and revise and submit it. Completion makes you eligible for three UCSD Extended Studies post-baccalaureate credits and a digital transcript. You learn critical thinking, research, analysis, writing, communication, time management, and independent-working skills. Apply now!
5. Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program
Location: Mentor placements across the U.S., including Connecticut
Stipend: $3,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; typically 20–45 students
Dates: June – August
Application Deadline: January 25
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors, as well as rising college freshmen, who are at least 16 years old and residing in the US, Puerto Rico, Canada, or Mexico
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program is an eight-week summer internship designed to introduce high schoolers like you to the fisheries and aquatic sciences. You will explore critical topics such as fisheries science, natural resource management, marine biology, and habitat restoration. Throughout the summer, you will tackle hands-on activities like electrofishing, conducting fish population surveys, and testing water quality alongside a dedicated local mentor. By doing so, you will build crucial skills in field sampling, data processing, and environmental research methods.
6. Yale University, Department of Astronomy / Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium – Yale Summer Program in Astrophysics (YSPA)
Location: New Haven, CT
Cost: $7,800; need-based financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly competitive; 32 rising high school seniors
Dates: Online directed self-study: June 22 – July 3; residential program: July 5 – August 2
Application Deadline: March 6
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors, applying while in 11th grade or equivalent; aged 15.5 or older by July 5; proficient in English
In this program, you engage in two weeks of online self-study followed by four residential weeks at Yale's Leitner Family Observatory and Planetarium. Morning classes in the planetarium theater cover observational astronomy, telescope optics, CCD imaging and calibration, photometry, spectroscopy, stellar evolution, and measurement uncertainty. Working in teams of four, you collect your own data using the observatory's 0.4-metre Ritchey-Chrétien telescope and remote telescopes in New Mexico, California, Chile and Australia. Afternoon lab tutorials teach you Python with numpy, astropy, matplotlib, DS9, AstroImageJ and MESA to model that data. You then write your results as a scientific paper and present them at the YSPA mini-conference for feedback from Yale astronomy faculty.
7. Quinnipiac University Pre-College Summer Program: Forensic Science – Crime Scene Investigation
Location: Hamden, CT
Cost: $3,700 (residential); $2,700 (commuter); partial financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open / Registration-based; approximately 20 students
Dates: July 6–17
Application Deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: Current high school students, typically ages 15–18
Over two weeks at Quinnipiac's Hamden campus, you'll work a single mock homicide from the first dig to the conclusion, covering fingerprint analysis, forensic anthropology, forensic entomology, bloodstain pattern analysis, evidence recovery, victim profiling, and even wildlife forensics. You'll excavate simulated clandestine graves and recover skeletal remains, dust surfaces for latent prints, examine hair and fabric samples, and collect and document evidence from a staged scene. Three Quinnipiac professors of anthropology and biology run the program, and guest speakers have included an FBI crime scene photographer and specialists from the Connecticut State Police forensic laboratory. You'll leave with a realistic sense of how slow and methodical this work actually is.
8. Yale University, Office of New Haven Affairs – Yale Pathways to Science Summer Scholars
Location: New Haven, CT
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 100+ participants
Dates: July 6–17
Application Deadline: February 24
Eligibility: Current Pathways Scholars in grades 9–11, entering grades 10–12; not open to applicants studying outside eligible New Haven-area public schools
In this program, you explore STEM through two weeks of intensive, hands-on learning on campus. You take week-long workshops and shorter enrichment activities spanning areas such as biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, and related sciences. Students entering grades 10–11 receive personalized schedules containing four distinct workshops, with classes limited to 16 participants or fewer. You may conduct laboratory experiments, examine biological specimens, build scientific devices, and investigate scientific phenomena through demonstrations and practical projects. You develop laboratory, analytical, problem-solving, and science-communication skills while working with instructors from the university community. Rising seniors also complete a ten-day college-essay workshop and may apply for the residential experience.
9. Wesleyan University, College of Integrative Sciences – Junior Fellow Summer Research Program
Location: Middletown, CT
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 12 students
Dates: June 15 – July 26
Application Deadline: Varies annually by cycle (specific dates are shared via the College of Integrative Sciences portal or by contacting scienceresearch@wesleyan.edu)
Eligibility: High school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates who are at least 16 years old and live in Middletown or the surrounding area; not open to applicants studying outside the eligible region
In this program, you will work directly in faculty labs to gain hands-on experience in fields like computer science, artificial intelligence, and bioengineering. You will shadow a research fellow, attend weekly lab meetings, and analyze current scientific articles to understand advanced computational workflows and research methods. You will develop specialized projects using digital systems and campus lab equipment, culminating in a poster presentation at the final Summer Science Symposium. Throughout the summer, you will attend specialized lectures and weekly workshops presented by the College of Integrative Sciences. You will also have the opportunity to engage with graduate mentors and build foundational analytical skills for future academic pursuits in STEM fields.
10. University of New Haven, Conference Services – Marine & Environmental Sciences Academy (Summer Youth Academy)
Location: West Haven, CT
Cost: $650 for the day program; $1,250 with on-campus accommodations; discounted registration fee available to students in partner college-access programs
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open admission; cohort size not stated
Dates: July 20–24
Application Deadline: First-come, first-served registration
Eligibility: Completing grade 9–12 during the current academic year; physician-signed health record, physical examination, and immunization record submitted before June 1, with no religious exemptions recognized; long pants and closed-toe shoes for lab components; parent or guardian consent and media release at registration
In this program, you spend a week immersed in marine and environmental science, coastal social science, and coastal resilience around New Haven Harbor. You work in the field across a range of coastal ecosystems, then move indoors to run lab exercises on coastal organisms and to recreate processes such as coastal erosion. You examine how climate change affects coastal communities, how the ocean provides food, and which shoreline management approaches work. You also meet community organizations working on a resilient coastline and attend a workshop on college applications and marine science careers. You build a small research poster over the week and present your findings at a participant-led conference on the final day.
11. UConn Pre-College Summer – Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering
Location: UConn Campus, Storrs, CT
Cost: $2,250 (Early Bird) or $2,350 (Regular) + $50 application fee; need-based discounts/scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically small cohort sizes
Dates: June 21–27
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; Early Bird pricing available through April 1
Eligibility: Current high school freshmen, sophomores, or juniors (ages 14–17) with a minimum 2.0 GPA and good academic standing
The Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering course at UConn Pre-College Summer gives you a practical introduction to using AI for developing medical instrumentation. You will explore key topics including decision trees, support vector machines, neural networks, and deep learning. Throughout the course, you will participate in hands-on activities where you collect experimental data, train machine learning algorithms, build custom AI models, and apply these concepts to practical projects. A unique feature of this immersive program is that you can build functional disease-detecting models using a platform that requires absolutely no coding. By the end, you will gain the skills to explain how various algorithms work and identify future opportunities for AI in the biomedical field.
12. UConn Pre-College Summer – Biomedical Engineering: Exploring and Designing Biomedical Wearable Devices to Record Human Motion and Activities
Location: UConn Campus, Storrs, CT
Cost/Stipend: $2,250 (Early Bird) or $2,350 (Regular) + $50 application fee; need-based discounts/scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; typically capped around 25–40 students
Dates: July 19–25
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; Early Bird pricing available through April 1
Eligibility: High school students entering grades 9 through 12 (or rising freshmen through graduating seniors) in good academic standing
This one-week course at UConn's Storrs campus gives you a broad look at biomedical engineering, how engineering, computer science, and life science combine to build medical devices, prosthetics, lab-grown tissue, and computer models of human physiology. Lectures cover the different sub-disciplines and the skills each one demands, while lab work puts you on computer-aided design software, 3D printing, and biomedical sensors. You work in a team to design and build a simple but functional device prototype, model physical structures in CAD, and present your results in a talk and a written report. You leave with teamwork, technical communication, and critical thinking skills.
13. UConn Pre-College Summer – Robotics Engineering
Location: UConn Campus, Storrs, CT
Cost: $2,500 (Early Bird) or $2,600 (Regular) + $50 application fee; need-based discounts/scholarships are available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; typically ranges between 15–35 students
Dates: June 21–27
Application Deadline: Rolling admissions; Early Bird pricing available through April 1
Eligibility: High school students in good academic standing (typically rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors; ages 15–17)
In UConn’s non-credit Robotics Engineering course, you explore robotics as an interdisciplinary field, from its history to current technologies and their wider impacts. You study robot perception, action, and behavior; motion and control; human-robot interaction; automation; electronics; programming; and applications in manufacturing, service, and defense. You join group sessions, watch video lectures, work hands-on with electronics, and program and automate a robot for simple tasks. You also examine robotics research and the knowledge needed to become a roboticist. You get a distinctive blend of theory and practice; previous robotics experience helps but isn't required, though basic programming is expected. You build beginner-level robotics knowledge while strengthening problem-solving, critical-thinking, programming, and automation skills.
14. UConn Health, Department of Health Career Opportunity Programs – Senior Doctors Academy
Location: Farmington and Hartford, CT
Cost/Stipend: None
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; cohort size not stated
Dates: October 18 – May 2; June 22 – July 17
Application Deadline: Closed May 1
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors; B average or better; U.S. citizens or permanent residents
In this program, you strengthen your science foundation while exploring medicine, dental medicine, biomedical research, and other health professions. You review biology, physics, anatomy and physiology, calculus, pre-calculus, and writing through structured academic enrichment. You participate in both an intensive summer program and a Saturday academy that extends health-career and academic preparation through the school year. You also gain exposure to health professionals, scientific topics, clinical skills, and research-oriented learning. Mentoring and college preparation help you connect scientific coursework with possible health-profession pathways. Qualified participants can also earn a stipend while completing the program.
15. University of Connecticut – Explore Engineering (E²)
Location: UConn Campus, Storrs, CT
Cost: $4,000; financial aid is available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective; approximately 125 students per year
Dates: July 12–24
Application Deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Students entering grades 9–11
In this program, you will explore 12 distinct engineering disciplines, focusing on fields like chemical, civil, and biomedical engineering. Working in small groups, you will complete hands-on activities such as building Smart Lego vehicles, developing rudimentary EKG devices, designing fuel cells, and presenting a final Grand Challenge project. This competitive program uniquely allows you to live on the Storrs campus and receive direct mentorship from current undergraduate engineering students. Ultimately, you will build practical technical knowledge while mastering essential skills in teamwork, applied problem-solving, and public speaking.
Frequently asked questions
1. What are the best science programs for high school students in Connecticut?
Strong options depend on interests. Students interested in astrophysics might consider Yale's YSPA, those interested in biomedical engineering might look at UConn Pre-College Summer courses or ASPIRE, and students interested in forensic science might consider Quinnipiac's Crime Scene Investigation program.
2. Are there free science programs for high schoolers in Connecticut?
Yes, several programs are free, including Yale Pathways to Science Summer Scholars, Wesleyan's Junior Fellow Summer Research Program, and UConn Health's Senior Doctors Academy. Some, like ASPIRE and HSRAP, are free and also provide a stipend.
3. Can students outside Connecticut participate in these science programs?
Most in-person programs, such as ASPIRE, HSRAP, and Wesleyan's Junior Fellow program, require Connecticut residency or attendance at specific local schools. Virtual options like Veritas AI and the Lumiere Research Scholar Program are open to students regardless of location, and the Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program accepts students from across the U.S.
4. Do any of these programs focus specifically on artificial intelligence?
Yes, Veritas AI offers a fully virtual AI Scholars program and AI Fellowship, and UConn Pre-College Summer offers a no-coding-required course on Artificial Intelligence in Biomedical Engineering.