Research Opportunities

The Junior Research Seminar exposes students to research at the University, and allows juniors the opportunity to begin research on thesis work in the junior year. This elective course for eleventh-grade students meets two hours per week.

Science,Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Students with a special interest and solid aptitude in science may enroll in STEM. From September through March, one hour is dedicated to touring laboratories at Boston University, and the other hour is spent in discussion of current science periodicals. From April onwards, the weekly tours are replaced with rotations through laboratories which will develop into a summer internship. Homework assignments consist of writing summaries and reflections of tours, reading current science periodicals, and giving oral presentations and leading discussions on those articles. Academy students interned in the following labs over the past year:

• BU Dept. of Biology with Professors Atema, Eichenbaum, and Kunz
• BU Dept. of Chemistry with Professor Doerrer
• BU Dept. of Cognitive Neuroscience with Professor Mingolla
• BU Dept. of Manufacturing Engineering with Professor Gevelber
• BU Dept. of Physics with Professors Goldberg and Mohanty
• BU Dept. of Space Sciences with Professor Fritz
• Children’s Hospital with Dr. Moses
• Harvard School of Public Health with Dr. Hunter
• MIT Micro and Nano-Technology Lab with Professor Pappalardo

History, Arts, and Letters (HAL)
The Academy is piloting a humanities section of the Junior Research Seminar during the 2009-2010 academic year. Students will learn how to start a research project—including the use of libraries,web-based resources, bibliographies, and other findings—and how to write a long paper. University professors will share their approach to research, and students will utilize the various libraries at the University for research. Students will develop a research plan and a bibliography for work in the summer for the senior thesis.