Computational Biology Camp for High School Students
Thank you for your interest in the program. We are currently full for both sessions and additional application will go on the wait list.
For those who are from other area, we are offering a similar camp at Scripps (La Jolla, CA) for July 30 – August 10, 2018, which may be more convenient for you.
This camp is for academically motivated current (2017-18) high school and 8th grade students interested in computer, math, science, and medicine. The camp will focus on the role of genomics in diseases and symptoms and guide students to perform computational biology research using patient RNA expression data to identify genes related to certain diseases. There will be a separate basic genomics session to accommodate students who have not taken first year high school biology. This year, students will have a chance to experience wet-lab experiments.
Please note that this camp is not residential.
DATE: June 18-22, 2018 (Session 1 current high school students: we will not cover biology basics)
July 16-20, 2018 (Session 2 current 8th grade and above: we will cover biology basics)
TIME: 9 am – 4:30 pm
LOCATION: Undergraduate Science Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
INTENDED AUDIENCE: Academically motivated current (2017-18) high school and 8th grade students interested in computers, math, science, and medicine.
FEE*: $530 (with premium membership**: $450.00; automatic basic memership included for all campers)
*After reviewing your essay in the registration form, we will inform you regarding acceptance within 5 buisness days. If accepted, you will be sent payment options. Limited partial scholarships are available for financially difficult students such as those who are in free or reduced lunch program. Proof of income are required.
**You may want to consider premium membership.
Bring a laptop and lunch (morning and afternoon snacks provided).
Session 1 Registration Session 2 Registration
Students with camp certificates will be qualified to become miRcore volunteers. High school volunteer program runs throughout the school year, determining a disease of focus of the year, collaborating with similar level students to research the disease, and leading a school club GIDAS (pronounce: guide-us; Genes in Diseases and Symptoms). Out-of-state students can join the volunteer meetings through an online meeting platform.
Sponsor: Women In Science and Engineering (WISE)
Goals
- Expose high school students to career opportunities in biomedicine through hands-on experience in computational genomics and prepare them for the emerging era of medical genomics, when all doctors must be well-acquainted with genetic discoveries, technologies, and applications.
- Identify potential GIDAS (Genes In Diseases And Symptoms) club leaders at their schools.
Specific Aims
- Differentiate gene entities (DNA, RNA, and proteins) and understand the mechanisms of gene expression (transcription and translation).
- Understand genetic biomarkers in a disease context and the effects of environmental factors such as exercise, food consumption, substance abuse, and medication.
- Learn about personalized medicine (or precision medicine, cf. President Obama’s 2015 initiative).
- Become familiar with the National Center for Biotechnology Information database and software package.
- Conduct wet lab experiments.
Overall daily activities (subject to change)
| 9:00 – 10:00 am | test and review, games |
| 10:00 – 11:00 am | lectures covering specific aims, snacks |
| 11:00 – noon | hands-on activities in genomics |
| noon – 1:00 pm | lunch |
| 1:00 – 2:00 pm | computer-based guided investigation in genomics, games |
| 2:00 – 3:00 pm | individual research to solve a daily question on a disease using computational genomics, snacks |
| 3:00 – 3:30 pm | student presentations, games |
| 3:30 – 4:30 pm | career discussion with a professional |
Tentative Career focus
computational and experimental biologist (academic career)
physician (medical)
law (ethics, patents, policy, etc)
pharmaceutics/biotechnology (careers in industry)
Fridays
Parents are invited to students’ presentations
Each group will suggest a way of preventing the disease based on the week’s research
Recognition of the best disease solution
Refund Policy
The $100 administrative fee will not be refunded once the camp application is accepted.
If a student withdraws, the camp fee paid minus the administrative fee will be refunded if we are notified by May 5, 2018.
If a student withdraws between May 6 and June 2, 2018, we will refund 50 percent of the camp fee paid.
No refund will be given after June 2, 2018.