Summer 2025

The 2025 Junior Fellow program runs June 16 to July 25, 2025. If you have any questions, please reach out to scienceresearch@wesleyan.edu.

Students in the junior fellow program work in faculty labs over the summer, interacting with graduate and undergraduate students as well as their faculty mentors. They may develop projects and complete research that can be presented at science fairs and conferences on and off campus. Outside of their research, students attend lectures and workshops presented by the CIS Research in Science summer program. The students may also attend lab meetings that include presentations by graduate and undergraduate students. Lab workers keep up with current articles in related research publications and students have access to the university libraries and facilities. Our junior fellows learn valuable techniques and gain exceptional experience. They've gone on to study at colleges across the country, including Wesleyan. 

Summer 2025 Schedule

Note: should these activities conflict with your lab or project schedule, prioritize your individual program.

June 16: 10:00am-3:00pm Orientation, Exley 189 

  • 10:00am-11:30am Welcome, Overview, and Introductions
  • 11:30am-12:30pm  Lab Introductions and Lunch
  • 12:30pm-1:00pm Tour
  • 1:00pm-3:00pm General Lab Safety Training

June 18 & 25, July 16, 23: 10:00am-11:30am Journal Club, Exley 189

June 20 & 26, July 7, 10, & 17: 12:00pm-1:00pm Seminar Series,Shanklin 107, followed by optional social hour, Exley Patio

June 23 & 27, July 14 & 18: 10:00am-11:30am Seminar Discussion, Exley 189

July 25: 9:30am-3:30pm Summer Science Symposium 

Your lab and/or library schedule will be determined with your mentor(s).

Workshops

July 8: 10:00am-11:00am Abstract Presentation, Exley 189

July 9: 10:00am-11:00am Poster Design and Presentation, Exley 189

July 11: 10:00am-12:00pm 3D Painting on Fabric, IDEAS Lab

 

  • Eligibility
    High school juniors, seniors, and recent graduates are eligible to apply. Students must be at least sixteen years old. They should live in Middletown or the surrounding area and must organize their own transportation.
  • Program Parameters

    The Junior Fellow summer research program is expected to run from June 16 to July 25, 2025.

    Junior fellows will be assigned to a faculty lab and gain access to the Wesleyan science complex, libraries, and campus events related to the Research in Science summer program. High school students are not authorized to work in the lab or with any scientific equipment while unsupervised. Fellows will determine a schedule with their faculty and student mentors. At a minimum they should expect to shadow a research fellow and attend lab meetings, weekly lectures, and the final poster session. They will also be expected to attend one workshop specific to the Junior Fellow program per week. 

  • Application
    The Summer 2025 application is available at this link. If you have any questions, please reach out to scienceresearch@wesleyan.edu.
  • History

    In late 2009, a joint educational initiative was started between members of the Wesleyan University faculty in the natural science and mathematics departments and several of the science-math teachers at Middletown High School. The goal was to create a partnership to create opportunities for high school juniors and seniors to attend lectures and to do research in Wesleyan's labs over the summer. This collaborative program was intended to extend the educational opportunities of the Middletown high school students, and to leverage the impact of the research programs at Wesleyan. Over the years the program has facilitated the integration of a select, but growing number of high school students into Wesleyan research labs.

    The Wes-MHS Collaborative ran from 2009 to 2018. In 2023 it was revived by the College of Integrative Sciences and now extends to students from all high schools in the community.

Summer 2024 Recap

Eight students participated in the Summer 2024 Junior Fellow program. They were members of seven different labs and conducted research in astronomy, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental science, and molecular biology and biochemistry. In addition to their lab work, the students attended workshops, field trips, and tours of Wesleyan collections and facilities. Three of the junior fellows presented posters during the Summer Science Symposium on the final day of the program and one was a Teaching Assistant for the Girls in Science summer camp.