Research in Science & Engineering (RISE)

Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) is a highly selective summer research program hosted by that provides high school students with authentic Boston University laboratory research experience. It offers two tracks: Internship (lab-based research) and Practicum (computational/group research).

Program Structure, Fields, and Selection
- Approximately 6-week full-time summer program (late June to early August)
- Internship track: students conduct independent research in BU laboratories under faculty, postdoctoral, or graduate student mentorship, in fields such as biomedical science, neuroscience, chemistry, engineering, and computer science
- Practicum track: team-based research in computational or interdisciplinary areas such as bioinformatics and neuroscience modeling
- Highly competitive admissions (often ~10% or lower), requiring transcripts, essays, and recommendations, with emphasis on research interest and academic ability; some applicants are matched with specific faculty research groups

Program Activities
- Conduct real research in university labs or research groups (not classroom-based learning)
- Perform experimental design, data analysis, programming, or literature-based research
- Produce a final research report and present findings at a Poster Symposium

Academic Value
A high-level U.S. high school research program emphasizing authentic research experience and potential output, serving as an important step toward advanced academic research pathways.

Impact on College Applications
Strong positive impact for STEM applicants, especially in engineering, computer science, and life sciences. Research output or strong mentor evaluation can significantly strengthen applications to Top 20–30 universities, though it is generally ranked below elite research programs such as RSI, SIMR, or SSP.