The Baruch College Now STEM Research Academy is designed to provide NYC public high school students with an opportunity to build their science knowledge and skills by engaging in ‘authentic inquiry’ activities. Twenty-five students will be selected based on NY State High School Regents Exams in English and math, GPA, writing sample, and transcript review.
The Academy uses a two-semester (spring and summer) program model. Students selected are enrolled in a college-credit research methods course during the spring to strengthen necessary skills, such as formulating a strong research question, designing testable experiments, performing literature searches, and reading scientific literature. The course goal is to introduce students to the expectations of working in a research lab environment. Upon successfully completing the spring course (with a minimum grade of C), students will be matched with CUNY research faculty and participate in a structured six-week summer research experience program.
130 + students complete our spring research prep course
95+ research scholars (students who completed both the spring prep course and summer research experience)
5 research disciplines covered (Biology, Environmental Science, Cultural Communication, Sociology, Industrial-Organizational Psychology)
13 faculty mentors
Spring Semester 2025: Introduction to Research Skills (1 college credit)
End of January to mid-May; Hybrid (In-Person on Wednesdays from 4:10-5:40pm)
The STEM Research Academy sequence begins with a 60-hour research preparatory course (BIO 3002 – Reading Science). This course was designed to help students develop essential scientific literacy and numeracy skills. After successful completion of the spring course (grade of C or higher) students will be awarded college credit. Students from the original twenty-five will also be eligible for the summer applied research experience.
Summer Semester 2025: Applied Research Experience ($1,575 stipend paid out the following fall semester)
Middle of July to mid-August; Monday through Thursday (roughly 9am-5pm)
Conducting research through an internship experience may not be for all students. With that in mind, we will allow students to choose, upon successful completion of the spring research skills course, to enroll in the research internship experience. Our three main objectives are to develop student understanding of the nature of science with an in-depth experience in one area of scientific research, work towards understanding the culture and interests of a science research laboratory, and enhance the literacy skills needed to excel in science. At the conclusion of the summer program, student teams will present their culminating project/research findings at the *CUNY STEM Research Research Exhibition and the *NYC Science Research Mentoring Consortium Summer Symposium.
Primary Program Requirements
Must be a current NYC Public High School 10th or 11th grader when applying by December
An overall 80+ average
Additionally, priority will be given to students from our partner high schools and those from historically underrepresented groups in science (e.g., African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American Indian, and Alaskan Native).
Although the program is primarily designed for high school juniors, 10th graders with the following grades will be considered:
An overall 80+ average
80+ English average
80+ math average and 80+ science average
Benefits
There are numerous benefits to participating in the STEM Research Academy, including:
Earning college credit
College and career exploration (early career exposure, development of necessary life and career skills, building and expanding professional network, etc.).
A stipend of $1,575 (upon completion of summer research experience; paid out the following fall semester)
Applications generally become available in mid-October and consist of the following:
An online application,
Copy of your high school transcript, and
One page essay introducing yourself, discussing your areas of interest in science, explaining what you hope to gain from this program, and what makes you a great candidate.
**We strongly recommended that you have these documents ready prior to starting your application.**
Timeline
Application period (mid-October to December)
Students will be informed of decisions mid-December
Student Orientation (January)
Spring course (end of January to mid-May; Hybrid)
Mentor/mentee meet and greet (June)
Summer research experience (July to August; Monday through Thursday; approximately 5-6 weeks)
End of summer Project Fair (mid-August; subject to change)
Interested in becoming a research mentor?
We are always looking for more content experts that are passionate about mentorship, sincerely enjoy working with students, and have the capacity to work with them during our summer research experience. Please reach out to us for more information.
Programming is made possible by a generous grant from the Pinkerton Foundation.
The STEM Research Academy is a proud member of the NYC Science Research and Mentoring Program Consortium.