STEM Research Academy

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, interested students will be matched with CUNY research faculty and participate in a structured six-week summer internship program.

Program Overview and Schedule

Program in Review (2016 – 2021)

Since our program began in 2016, we have had:

125 students complete our spring research prep course
90 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)
11 faculty mentors

Program Data

The following report highlights aggregate cohort data from our STEM Research Academy. The report explores the extent to which students developed career maturity as a result of participating in our program.

2021 Cohort Career Readiness Report

Spring Semester 2022: Introduction to Research Skills (1 college credit)

End of January to mid-May; Hybrid (Online + In-person Wednesdays 4:10-5:10pm)

The STEM Research Academy sequence begins with a 60-hour research preparatory course. This course was designed to help students develop essential scientific literacy and numeracy skills. Students are simultaneously enrolled in BIO 3002 (Reading Science). As such, after successful completion of the overall spring course (grade of C or higher) students will be awarded college credit. Students will also be eligible for the summer applied research experience.

Summer Semester 2022: Applied Research Experience ($1,000 stipend)

Beginning 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.

Eligibility and Benefits

Primary Program Requirements

Must be a NYC Public High School 11th grader
PSAT/ SAT Verbal (min. 480) or English Language Arts Regents (min. 75)
Math Regents (min. 80) and Living Environment Regent (min. 75)
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 $1,000 (upon completion of summer research experience)
Access to a research mentor

For more information on the benefits of engaging in research while in high school and student testimonials check out the following article – Early Research Experiences: Why students should seek out opportunities as early as high school.

Application Process and Timeline

Application Process

Applications generally become available in early October and consist of the following:

An online application,
Copy of your high school transcript,
Copy of PSAT and or SAT report (if applicable), 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 (October to 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)
End of summer Project Fair (Mid-August)

Research Mentors and Student Posters

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.

Summer 2021 Research Mentors

Past Research Mentors

Past Student Research Posters

To view past research posters, please visit the STEM Research Academy Summer Research Virtual Exhibition webpage.

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.