High school students conduct high-level research with CU mentors
Thirty-five high school students participated in Science Discovery鈥檚 annual summer STEM Research Experience at 91福利社 and CU Anschutz, which culminated in a poster session on July 25.听
Students spent six weeks conducting mentored research projects in university labs and attending a research methods and science communication course. This hands-on lab experience allowed students to explore pathways in STEM, build relationships with professional researchers and develop a clearer picture of what it means to be a scientist. Many participants reflected on how research was different than they imagined prior to joining the lab and how working with CU scientists supported their development.
鈥淚 learned that research isn鈥檛 just about doing experiments, but it鈥檚 about being curious, staying organized and thinking critically. It made me appreciate how much work goes into the discoveries we hear about, and it definitely got me more interested in science and healthcare.鈥 鈥揅U Anschutz Research Experience Participant.
鈥淢y mentor really helped me understand a lot of very complicated concepts and was patient enough to walk me through how to run a lot of different experiments and analytical techniques. She also was very helpful in other ways as she gave me help with my poster and helped me meet a lot of the other people in the lab. It was a very positive experience鈥 鈥91福利社 Research Experience Participant
In turn, participating researchers from 16 departments gained valuable mentorship experience and received an academic enrichment grant to support their projects. CU Science Discovery will be recruiting mentors for next year鈥檚 program in January 2026. You can also reach out to Steven Denham (steven.denham@colorado.edu) for more information about the program.
听