Computational Biology Research Camps for High School Students

BACKGROUND: Our summer camps serve as a platform to recruit students to the miRcore volunteer program (MVP, https://mircore.org/volunteer, started in 2011) since MVP students implement what they learn in camp to do collaborative computational research from the ground up while advocating publicly supported disease research. MVP thus promotes research and leadership skills through real-life projects inspired by precision medicine (e.g., identifying potential diagnostic RNA markers using publicly available patient data). MVP runs throughout the academic year, with multi-year participation options. MVP students keep in touch with each other through college and beyond. All our summer camps are designed to support the MVP experience but can be stand-alone.

We have extensive experience in online teaching, such as group bonding games, interactive instruction, guiding small group research through break-out sessions, all on a personal basis. Our online platform, instituted in 2015 to deliver advanced, structured contents to students outside of the Ann Arbor (including California, New York, Georgia, and Canada), has undergone continuous improvement.

Other online STEM activities: distant participation in our Annual Genes and Health Contest, remote student participation in an Annual High School Research Conference presenting posters to judges, miRcore volunteer program (MVP) student online support committee meetings, MVP officers weekly meetings to plan main meetings, and online training sessions for group leaders in outreach programs.

TARGET AUDIENCE: Any high school students willing to learn, have fun with peers, and become familiar with the elements of medical research using computers. Most camps do not require prior knowledge. However, curiosity, working with other students, and an interest in making meaningful contributions to society are highly valued.

EXPECTATION: Most topics in the camps are challenging; you might not easily follow the contents at first. We have excellent group leaders who started the same way. Ask for help often. You will be surprised at the pleasant group learning experience. Our camps are research camps where, unlike in classrooms, there is not always a right answer. Be bold in generating your own ideas and share with others. Yes, you will learn to present in the amicable atmosphere. As laughter and exercise are known to change gene expression, a bit of silliness is built into the group games. In short, be brave and have fun.

SNACKS: abundant, tasty, and healthy

NEW THIS YEAR: All camps will introduce basic AI concepts in identifying diseases; R Camp will pilot using an R machine learning package.

Here are the various summer camps (all college-level research) that we offer:

Michigan

Sponsored by the University of Michigan, WISE (Women in Science and Engineering) and MICDE (Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering), miRcore’s three research camps will be held on the University of Michigan Campus.