BCC Summer Research Program

2026 High School Summer Research Program
Monday, June 1^st – Friday, July 31^st 

The Brown Cancer Center at the University of Louisville is offering a summer cancer research program to outstanding high school students with a strong interest in scientific research. 

This program will provide students with an initial, intensive 2-week hands-on wet lab research experience–to include participation in a hands-on drug discovery project led by our Drug Discovery Platform Core leaders–followed by an individual 7-week mentored research lab experience with a Brown Cancer Center-affiliated faculty member. 

Students will work under the direct supervision of either a graduate student, post-doctoral fellow, or other research scientist. They will be expected to read assigned materials to acquire background knowledge in the scientific focus of the lab they will be assigned to. 

Students are expected to commit a minimum of 30 hours per week and attend a weekly BCC HSSRP seminar series.  Students are also invited to attend the other departmental and Brown Cancer Center seminar series held throughout the summer.

At the end of this 9-week program, students will be invited to present their research results at the 2026 Summer Research Poster Showcase and the 2026 Annual Brown Cancer Center Research Retreat. 

Each student will receive a stipend of $3,500 for participating in the BCC High School Summer Research Program. All other expenses will be funded by the Brown Cancer Center.

Eligibility

All criteria below must be met for each applicant:

1. Applicants must be at least 16 years of age by June 1, 2026, and have taken at least one advanced science course.
2. Applicants must have an active bank account in their name for electronic deposits.
3. Applicants must have reliable transportation to and from the University of Louisville Health Science Campus each day.

** Students who are directly related to current Brown Cancer Center supported faculty members are not eligible to apply. **

Application

Please submit the following materials by Sunday, April 5, 2026, 11:59pm.

1. A Completed Application Form. You can download the application by clicking here. Please review the instructions on the application document for more information.
2. A copy of your high school transcript (an unofficial report is fine)
3. Two letters of recommendation: One should be from a science teacher who will address your aptitude for laboratory science; the other can be from another teacher or other personal reference and should address your maturity, responsibility and reliability. You should ask your references to email their signed letters directly to Ashley Curry (ashley.kareken@louisville.edu).

Selection

A committee of faculty members will review the application materials and select students to invite for personal interviews. These interviews will be held after school via TEAMS on Wednesday, April 22 and Thursday, April 23. Final participant selection will be based on these interviews.

Submission

Application forms, transcripts, and letters of recommendations and any other questions should be sent to Ashley Curry (ashley.kareken@louisville.edu).

Deadline

Please submit all application materials by Sunday, April 5, 2026, 11:59pm.