ACADEMY

Research in Medicine

Dive into the world of medical research and get real-world experience in medicine as a high schooler. Combine an immersive in-person experience with Summer Discovery at UC Berkeley with your very own mentored research project through this hybrid program specifically designed to give high school students the research skills and expert guidance they need to conduct their own unique research project throughout the upcoming school year.

Instructor:

AT A GLANCE

GRADE LEVELGrades 9-12CAMPUSLEARN MORE ABOUT THE CAMPUSUC BerkeleyFIELD OF STUDYMedicine & Health Sciences/Psychology & Social Science/ResearchCOURSE TYPEACADEMYDATES7/13/2025 - 7/25/2025 (2 Weeks)COURSE TIMESAll Day

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CAMPUS

UC Berkeley

Course Description

On campus with Summer Discovery at UC Berkeley, participants will spend two weeks exploring cutting-edge techniques and methodologies used in modern medicine through a hands-on learning approach. Coursework will be augmented with interactive lectures from renowned experts in the field and visits to state-of-the-art research facilities. Students will gain valuable insights into the medical research field, develop critical thinking skills, and practice rigorous academic research as they work towards developing their own research project to pursue in class and beyond. By the end of two weeks, students will have developed their research project proposal and will submit it for review on the final in-person day.

On September 15, 2025, all students will continue their research project as they join a virtual cohort and get matched 1:1 with a research mentor in their field of interest. Students will meet with their mentor over 10 virtual sessions and complete their project at their own pace. Final research papers can be submitted for publication in prestigious journals, shared at research symposiums, turned into podcasts and more.

This course is conducted in partnership with Polygence, the premier online research academy for motivated students looking for dedicated mentorship from expert academics and practitioners. Tuition for the Summer Discovery x Polygence Medical Research Program at UC Berkeley includes both the on-campus Summer Discovery experience as well as Polygence’s Core Research Program. Read more about the Core Program here.

After applying for and enrolling in the Summer Discovery at UC Berkeley program, students will complete a separate enrollment form for their research projects. This step ensures Polygence has all necessary information about a student's academic background, interests, and experiences to match them with an ideal project mentor. Through this form, students will also provide an initial project topic and idea for their research, based on their own interests in medicine. Students will be provided the opportunity to amend their project idea after their time at UC Berkeley.