All programs

11th-12th graders |  Full Day  |  July 13 – 24, 2026

Pathology? What is that? Just the foundation of modern medicine! (With lots of cool things to see and do!)

From diagnosing cancer and learning about autopsies, to better understanding the emerging science behind personalized medicine, join the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and learn from residents, attending physicians, and medical students. In this program you will gain hands on experience with laboratory processes, organ dissection sessions, independent coursework, and receive mentoring by a department physician.

Students will learn all about Pathology and Laboratory Medicine through hands-on instructional sessions geared towards the high school student interested in learning more about the field of medicine.  Students will spend the majority of their time at the large academic medicine center of Strong Memorial Hospital/University of Rochester Medical Center, with time also spent at the Central Laboratories facility in nearby Henrietta, NY. The program culminates with student presentations on an independent project that the student conducts under the guidance of a department faculty mentor.

Enrollment is limited to 15 students; selection to the program is highly competitive.

11th-12th graders |  Full Day  |  July 13 – 31, 2026

This unique and selective program is open to students interested in pursuing careers in medicine. Through rigorous academic immersion, you will gain firsthand experience with practical hands-on intervention, anatomy, neuroscience, public health, and service learning.

Enrollment is limited to 12 students; selection for this program is highly competitive.

9-12th graders  |  Session A  |  8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
What is it really like to be a physician? What does it take to become one? In this immersive course, you will meet practicing physicians, medical students, and other healthcare professionals while exploring the inner workings of the human body. As part of this program, you will participate in hands-on medical procedures, practice using clinical equipment, simulate patient encounters, hear from various medical specialties, and examine real pathological specimens and detailed anatomical models. You will collaborate with peers through team-based challenges and problem-solving activities designed to build critical thinking and communication skills. You will also learn what academic preparation is needed for medical school and gain tools to help you determine whether a career in medicine is the right path for you.

9-12th graders  |  Session A  | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

New ideas are at the core of every business’s health. Within a highly experiential curriculum, students will learn and test-out business tools that generate, screen, prioritize, and improve raw concepts into feasible business cases. Such leadership skills are critical in any setting; from social improvements and not-for-profit endeavors to classic garage start-ups, struggling small companies and behemoth corporations.

9-12th graders  |  Session A  | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

TBD

9-12th graders  |  Session A  |  1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Students will have a hands-on opportunity to experience the growing field of data science. After a brief introduction and appreciation on why data science is the most sought-after profession in the 21st century, the students will immerse in analyzing and visualizing a large data set to discover insights using state-of-the-art data science tools.

By means of a series of interactive examples in various domain/subject areas, they will gain experience in data science techniques such as data preparation and exploration, data visualization, and an introduction to predictive modeling. The hands-on working sessions will be complemented by tours of university research laboratories engaged in the exciting area of data science.

9-12th graders  |  Session A  |  8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Through stimulating lectures, interactive labs, and informative field trips, this class introduces you to the many disciplines of engineering. You will get an overview of the necessary tools for analysis and problem solving and will use your creativity, energy, and interpersonal skills while participating in several in-class design projects. Additionally, you will learn the importance of mathematics, science, and technology in everyday engineering situations.

By the end of the course, you will have a better-defined idea of engineering, its requirements, and your options for a future within this field.

9-12th graders  |  Session A  |  1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Learning about bones, muscles, joints, and movement has never been more fun! Through movement, poetry, and numerous hands-on activities, you will identify and explore the function of muscles and bones in your body. No dry memorization here; you will plunge into the subject of anatomy by putting those bones and muscles into action. Specially designed kinesthetic activities will embody these lessons. This class is perfect for you if you’re interested in health sciences, biology, kinesiology, physical therapy, dance, or massage therapy.

9-12th graders  |  Session A  |  8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

“You shouldn’t do that!” – “Why?” – “Well, because it’s wrong!”

You engage in ethics every day in conversations like these! Ethics is about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and the values that should or shouldn’t guide how we live. Are these values pleasure, friendship, happiness, achievement, knowledge, justice, or something else? Are all of these important? Are some more important than others? Does it depend on the situation? Ethics can be found all over the modern world in art, sports, films, social media, government, education, healthcare, etc. In all of these places, there are questions about what is right or wrong, good or bad, and what values should matter. This course explores the ethical issues and values within all of these topics. In this course, students will learn various ethical theories and discuss their applications to these topics. The aim of this course is to develop students’ understanding of ethics, and to engage them in philosophical reflection and argumentation so that they can develop their own thoughts on what values they think should guide how they live as well as thoughtful positions on ethical issues in the modern world.

 9-12th graders | Session A | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

This class introduces the many disciplines of finance, what to expect during academic training at a university level, and potential career paths.

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be an investment banker, a financial advisor, hedge fund, or real estate investor? Examine the pros and cons of various career paths within the world of finance. Learn about different types of investments, build your own hypothetical investment portfolio, speak with professionals in the industry, and more.

This class will also introduce several aspects of personal finance (things we wish we thought about when entering college).

9-12th graders  |  Session A  |  1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

This course examines how advertisers use language to sell products and how it affects our perception of the products and ourselves. This course will appeal to those who are curious about the central role language plays in the art of persuasion. The course touches upon the structure of language only insofar as it is relevant for understanding advertising as a form of social action. The acquired linguistic tools will help us to understand how commercial messages achieve their effect in business, culture, or even grass roots movements.

9-12th graders  |  Session B  | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Ethical and moral dilemmas in the healthcare field impact everyone, including patients, family members, clinicians, communities and the population. Many of these complex issues arise at the bedside, but others occur as a result of social and economic difficulties. It is here that the application of bioethics can provide a framework for understanding these issues. In this course, students will engage in case discussions, participate in mock ethics committees, and explore current events in order apply these theories and principles of bioethics to real life situations. Such topics include the patient-clinician relationship, end-of-life care, organ transplantation and donation, and public health.

9-12th graders  |  Session B  | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Come explore the growing field of optics and optical engineering at the nation’s oldest optics university! Students spend the week attending faculty lectures, touring the Laser Lab and working on projects in the Institute of Optics laboratories.

9-12th graders  |  Session B  | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

An introduction to aerospace engineering for pre-college students, spanning aerodynamics; lift and drag forces via interaction with air; thrust forces for propulsion in air and in space; and structures and materials for aerospace applications, with emphasis on safety.

Students contrast aerospace and aeronautical engineering; assess properties of air as an engineering fluid at different altitudes; describe the dynamics of motion through air; compute drag and lift forces on aircraft based on aerodynamic principles; assess propulsion systems using fuel, ignition, and combustion to create thrust forces via propellers, air-breathing jets, or rockets for space propulsion; and evaluate how aerospace structures are designed to ensure mechanical safety under pressurized loads and fatigue conditions for materials ranging from light metals and their alloys to fiber reinforced composites.

These concepts are applied to outlining, applying, and assessing the “Great Flight Diagram” that encompasses and contrasts flying structures from the fruit fly to the Boeing 747 (and everything in between.)

The course includes one short experiment conducted in small student teams, and case studies of specific aircraft systems.

9-12th graders  |  Session B |  1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

This course will give students real-world experience in reporting stories on deadline, under the supervision of a professional journalist from New York City with more than a decade of experience. You will learn the basics of news reporting and then get to practice writing, interviewing and visual storytelling in the field. You’ll learn how to spot and develop a story, how to work well under deadlines, how to use your phone as a reporting tool and how to get strangers to open up to you. We’ll also discuss how to begin and navigate a career in journalism.

9-12th graders  |  Session B |  8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

This hands-on, fast-paced course introduced students to the fundamentals of business through real-world simulations, team challenges, and interactive workshops. Over the week, students explore core areas including marketing, operations, finance, and strategy, applying concepts directly through the Coffee Shop Inc. simulation. Students practice data-driven decision-making, collaborated to solve business problems, and gained exposure to how companies create value in competitive markets. By the end of the course, students walk away with a stronger understanding of how businesses operate and the confidence to think like emerging business leaders.

9-12th graders  |  Session B |  8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

The terahertz range is the least well explored region of the electromagnetic spectrum. This emerging topic has attracted growing attention for its rich potential in both fundamental science and commercial applications. We will introduce foundational concepts relating to terahertz science and technology. We will then develop these ideas by focusing on a few specific topics in the physical and chemical sciences, and on the two most important emerging applications: wireless communications and imaging. You will have the opportunity to use a terahertz spectrometer and make some basic measurements to explore the properties of materials in this spectral range, or the use of functional devices such as terahertz waveguides.

The course focus starts with the basics of electromagnetic waves as they apply to propagation in empty space or in materials. We will discuss how terahertz radiation interacts with solids, liquids, and gasses, and explore the implications of these ideas for the use of terahertz waves for imaging or for sending wireless data signals through the air. We will describe the meaning of time-domain signals and how to interpret them using advanced mathematical tools such as the Fourier transform. This will prepare you for making hands-on measurements and interpreting the results.

9-12th graders  |  Session B | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Nursing is the largest workforce in the health care setting. The roles that nurses fulfill in the hospital, public health, research, and advanced practice are vital to the success of a patient’s health.

This course will show you what it takes to be a nurse. With engaging discussions and interactive exercises, you will learn about the profession’s foundations and specialties, the history and future of nursing, and potential careers that might interest you.

Whether you are interested in clinical research or patient care, come explore if nursing is for you.

9-12th graders  |  Session B | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Students can join members of the iZone Team for a week of creativity and problem-solving! In this hands-on workshop, students will learn the formal Creative Problem-Solving (CPS) process, a proven framework for turning ideas into action. Throughout the week, participants will explore every stage of the process: identifying real-world problems, building empathy with users, brainstorming imaginative solutions, developing prototypes, and pitching their ideas to others. Guided by iZone’s spirit of collaboration, students will develop essential future-ready skills, such as creative problem solving, critical thinking, and adaptability, so they can feel equipped to tackle any challenge, all while embracing one of iZone’s favorite values: play!

9-12th graders  |  Session B |  8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

This course teaches you the underlying physiology of crucial human organ systems and the process of recording the biological signals that dictate how they perform. You will learn about vital signs like blood pressure, heart rate, and electrical signals produced by the muscles and heart. You will also learn to interpret and integrate these signals with biological processes and diseases.

9-12th graders  |  Session B  | 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. OR 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

What is it like to be a dentist or a dental specialist such as an orthodontist, pediatric dentist, prosthodontist, periodontist, or oral surgeon? This course will explore hands-on dental procedures, examine the latest equipment, and take a close look at the skills and educational requirements necessary to become an oral health professional. Students will learn firsthand how to conduct an oral examination and to make diagnostic plaster models of teeth for use in treatment planning. Students will meet with dentists who are pursuing careers as faculty in educational programs and with researchers working in the basic sciences or translational arenas. Dental specialists working in diverse and emerging areas of treatment, including dental implants and cosmetic dentistry, will interact with the students. There will be site visits taken to the ambulatory care dental unit and the Center for Oral Biology at the University’s Medical Center. The course will focus on the changing field of oral health and the high demands for dentists to meet the oral health care needs of local, national, and international patient populations.

9-12th graders  |  Session B  | 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Explore the dynamic relationship between our environment and health in this engaging one-week workshop. From the basics of epidemiology and toxicology to pressing issues like water quality, air pollution, and climate change, we’ll delve into the critical factors shaping our well-being. Through lectures, interactive discussions, and hands-on activities, you’ll gain insights into how these elements intertwine, and develop innovative approaches to safeguarding our planet and ourselves. Join us on this transformative journey towards a healthier, more sustainable future!

9-12th graders  |  Session B  |  1:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m.

Unlock the secrets of protein structures by becoming a structural biologist yourself, exploring how proteins are built from simple amino acids and how they fold into their final, functional shapes. Our journey will take you to the lab bench, where you’ll crystallize your own protein for X-ray structure determination, and the cutting-edge world of cryogenic electron microscopy
(cryoEM), where you’ll pick particle images like a pro! You’ll also explore the powerful world of computational structural biology, from using the Protein Data Bank to trying out the revolutionary AlphaFold-3. Get ready to solve the molecular puzzles that drive health and disease in a hands-on, real-world research environment.