8 Great STEM Fall Programs for Middle School Students
As a motivated middle school student interested in science and technology, STEM programs during the fall semester are a great choice for you. Participating in these programs offers you a unique opportunity to ignite your passion for science and pave the way for a successful career in the future.
Fall programs often coincide with the beginning of the school year, thus participating in them will enable increased engagement and performance in STEM subjects in regular coursework. Additionally, these programs often offer hands-on experiences, making complex concepts more accessible and enjoyable.
As you will usually attend these programs on Saturdays or after school hours, they will complement everything you learn in school and will help you stay ahead academically, explore potential career paths, and develop critical thinking abilities. With that being said, in this blog, we will explore 8 great STEM fall programs designed for middle school students.
1. Lumiere Junior Explorer Program
The Lumiere Junior Explorer Program is an 8-week program for middle school students that allows them to work one-on-one with a mentor to explore their academic interests and work on a project they are passionate about. The mentors are scholars from top research universities, such as Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Yale, Duke, and Oxford.
Between weeks 1-4, you will delve into four distinct topics within the selected track. In weeks 5 to 6, participants shift their focus on a deep dive into one specific topic area, and the program culminates with the final two weeks dedicated to project implementation, with participants receiving guidance and support from their mentors as they bring their projects to life.
You can find the application form here.
Location: Fully Virtual
Dates: 16th Sept, 2024 for the fall cohort.
Cost: $2,400 (Financial Aid is available)
Application Deadline: August 25, 2024 for the fall cohort.
Eligibility: Grade 6 - 8
2. Veritas AI
Veritas AI Trailblazers is an online AI program for middle school students. The program is designed and run by graduates from Harvard University. Over 12 weeks, participants will work with a mentor from top universities like Harvard, MIT, Stanford, and Oxford, receiving one-on-one guidance to develop either a project or research paper. This is a unique program that offers you a great opportunity to explore AI and its applications across various disciplines, helping you to exhibit your enthusiasm and skills. Find the application form here.
For more detailed information about these programs, you can check out the program brochure.
Location: Virtual
Cost: AI Junior Fellowship - $2,900. Financial aid is available
Dates: Upcoming dates can be found here
Application Deadline: September 8, 2024 for the fall cohort
Eligibility: AI Trailblazer - Grade 6-8 AI Junior Fellowship - Middle school students
3. STEM Academy @ Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
STEM Academy is an academic enrichment program for middle and high school students offered by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. While most of the courses are targeted for students in grades 8-12, Python for Girls is offered for middle school girls and non-binary students in grades 6–8.
Multiple 12-week-long courses are offered across fields including Biomimetics, Cybersecurity, Robotics, and Programming. Classes, 90 minutes each, take place once every week on designated days between 5 pm and 6:30 pm. STEM Academy courses typically have a limit of 10 students per instructor.
You can apply for multiple courses as long as the classes do not clash and you can ensure participation in each one. The application process requires you to submit a 250-word paragraph that tells us about a project or accomplishment you are proud of, this will be the major factor in determining your selection to the program.
Location: Virtual and in-person options are available
Cost: The cost for each course is $49 ($99 for the Robotics course)
Dates: September to December 2024
Application Deadline: August 26, 2024 for the fall session
Eligibility: All students in grades 8-12 are eligible to apply
4. Online Enrichment Courses @ Northwestern University
Center for Talent Development (CTD) at Northwestern University has been providing academic enrichment programs for talented young students since 1982. There are multiple online course options available for students between 3-8 grades, and students who are selected to attend these programs typically function 1-2 grade levels above their peers in school in the subject area.
The two programs running during the fall semester are - Online Enrichment and Online Core Essentials. To determine the eligibility of students, the program requires them to be in the 90th percentile or above on a nationally normed, standardized grade-level achievement test or take the in-house assessment.
You will complete the session in 9 weeks in the fall and you should expect to spend 2-5 hours per week engaged in course activities. Some of the courses for middle school students will cover topics including - Ancient Medicine & Etymology, Astrobiology, Statistics, AI, and Robotics.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Between $575 to $675
Dates: September to November 2024
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: All students in grades 4-8 are eligible to apply
5. Science Alliance: Middle School Program
The Science Alliance is a middle school program run by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Students can choose from courses in anthropology, astrophysics, conservation science, Earth science, and evolutionary biology, which run anywhere between four and eight weeks in the fall session.
Classes will be offered on Thursdays and Fridays after school and on Saturdays during the day. The classes on Thursdays and Fridays run between 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm for eight weeks between October and December, while classes run for four hours on Saturday and the course is completed in four weeks.
You will interact with scientists from the Museum and also visit various halls throughout the course. There are no tests or assignments, so you can have fun while learning without any pressure!
Location: American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY
Cost: $1,000. Financial aid is available
Dates: Weekly classes on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday between October and December
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: All middle school students, who can attend in-person classes at the AMNH are eligible to apply.
Stanford Math Circle is an academic enrichment program designed for students across all grade levels, which is designed for students who are passionate about math and want to learn more beyond what is available in their schools. Through lectures, activities, and hands-on engagement, circles encourage students to develop creative and critical problem-solving skills.
Middle school students can participate in math circles designed for students between 5-8 grades. You will learn problem-solving, abstract reasoning, and advanced mathematical topics guided by mathematicians, educators, and scholars from the Stanford community.
All classes follow the Pacific Time zone and you will meet three times a week after school hours, which run for 105 minutes. You can click the links to see the tentative schedules for the 5-6 grade and 7-8 grade levels.
Location: Virtual
Cost: $495
Dates: October to December 2024
Application Deadline: Rolling basis
Eligibility: All students in grades 1–12 are eligible to apply in courses designed for their grade levels.
7. STEM Saturday Academy @ UNC Charlotte
The STEM Saturday Academy is one of the many offerings from UNC’s STEM Pre-College Program. Through direct instruction, problem-based learning, group projects, and virtual lab experiments you will receive a comprehensive introduction to STEM fields. The batch size is limited to 100 students.
You will participate in four-hour long, in-person courses across five Saturdays between September and December involving lectures on scientific principles, chemical reactions, mathematical equations, and more. Dedicated sessions will focus on preparing students for science Olympiad competitions, covering topics such as anatomy, ecology, physics, and engineering.
You will also receive a certificate of participation upon successful participation in all in-person and virtual courses.
Location: UNC Charlotte Woodward Building
Cost: $125 program fee
Dates: September to December 2024
Application Deadline: August 23, 2024
Eligibility: All middle school students from the Charlotte Area with a minimum 2.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale are eligible to apply.
8. Stanford Middle School Scholars Program
The Stanford Middle School Scholars Program is a free program with a summer and academic year component through the fall semester designed for students from low-income communities to prepare them for high school.
You will attend a three-week course in the summer (July) and there will also be an hour-long meeting every week between August and December, where you will have further discussions. You can choose from four course options and students interested in STEM should opt for the Real-Life Applications to Mathematics course.
The program courses are designed and taught by Stanford Online High School (OHS) instructors, the majority of whom have PhDs. They will help you reach your full academic potential as they help you develop the skills needed to excel in academic subjects. The batch size is limited to 12 students, so you will have enough time and opportunities to interact with like-minded peers, instructors, and guest speakers.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Free
Dates: Three weeks in the summer of 2025 and meetings throughout the fall semester after school
Application Deadline: March 2025
Eligibility: Open to all 6-7 grade students from low-income families in the U.S.
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