SHARP! Program
Registration to this program is now closed. Heading link
2025 summer registration will be open soon!
Camp format Heading link
SHARP!, the Summer High School Apprenticeship Program, is a 4-week summer program at the University of Illinois Chicago designed to immerse rising high school juniors in research applications of AI, robotics, and biomedical engineering in the medical field. This dynamic program will include daily laboratory research under the supervision of a scientist mentor, scientific lectures, career mentorship, group biomedical engineering projects, and bench laboratory method instruction. The program will culminate in a student presentation of their research activities at the SHARP! Symposium. Participants are expected to present their experience as ambassadors to their high school either at a science club or science class and to facilitate the involvement of other high school students interested in science as a career for the longitudinal UIC mentorship program.
Sessions and Expectations Heading link
1. Session, schedule, and locations
Session offered:
- June 16th – July 11th, 2025
Locations:
- Various research laboratories, the University of Illinois Chicago Medical Campus
- Surgical Innovation Training Laboratory, SITL, 912 South Wood Street, Chicago
Schedule:
Daily Schedule:
- 9 am: Drop off will occur at the SITL, 912 South Wood Street, Chicago.
- 9 am – 3 pm: Mornings and most afternoons will be spent in apprenticeship at the research laboratories.
- 12 pm: Students will convene for the daily lunch talk, which will include a variety of activities, including scientific talks, data interpretation, featured scientists outlining their career pathways, and in-depth discussion of careers in the fields of biomedical engineering, medicine, or surgery.
- 3 pm -5 pm: Group project work and workshops in biological, biomedical engineering, and medical skills will occur weekly.
Weekly schedule:
- Weeks 1 & 2- Biomedical problem solving, surgical robotic skills
- Week 3-Biological and medical skills, surgical robotic skills
- Week 4- Individual research presentations and discussion, ambassadorship workshop, Sharp! Symposium*
*At the SHARP! Symposium, students will present their research to faculty, participants, and family. Students will also have an opportunity to showcase their acquired skills.
2. Expectations and Requirements
Expectations for the Successful Participant:
This program is founded on respect for the pursuit of science, respect for those who pursue it in their careers, and respect for those who seek to learn about it. Respect and professional behavior are expected at all times.
Participants are expected to complete biomedical safety training, biohazards training, and biomedical orientation training modules prior to the first day of participation. Failure to complete the online and in-person training modules will forfeit participation in the program. Upon acceptance into the program, instructions on how to access the training modules will be provided.
Application and Requirements:
- Age requirement: The applicant must be 16 years old at the beginning of the session and must be able to attend all activities in the registered session.
- Consent requirement: Parental/guardian Consent is required.
- Official transcript: An official transcript will be required once the applicant is offered an interview.
- Two required Letters of Recommendation: We kindly request one recommendation from a math or science teacher. The second recommendation can be from an employer, teacher, clergy, or anyone else who knows the student well and can comment on their work ethic, curiosity, interest in science and/or math, and communication skills. The form for the recommendation letter can be found here and should be directly emailed to Dr. Zhinan Wang, znw@uic.edu.
- The participant must be willing to serve as a SHARP! Ambassador to their high school and facilitate four UIC science sessions at their high school or at UIC or by Zoom on mutually agreed upon topics (undergraduate/graduate student panel, career panel, premed preparations, bioengineering, learn a scientific method, STOP THE BLEED certification, etc.) for other students who may be interested in science/biomedical engineering.
3. Scholarships, Inclusions, Exclusions, and Fees
Scholarships are available according to financial need. Please inquire with one of the course directors.
Tuition fees include workshops, research materials, and daily lunch 5-days per week for four weeks.
Costs incurred to travel to the program or boarding costs are not included; this is a daily program.
2025 summer student tuition will be announced soon.
