Summer Program
I'm unable to attend the synchronous sessions live due to the time difference. Am I able to to watch recordings of each session?
Each session will be held on Saturdays from 10:30 AM–1:00 PM EDT beginning June 21. We strongly encourage students to attend live. Most of the sessions are not recorded.
How will I receive guidance on my research project during the summer program?
There will be several opportunities to receive feedback on your project throughout the program. In addition to the peer feedback sessions, we will be hosting three workshops during the conference to help students learn the fundamentals of conducting research. Paul has extensive experience in mentoring high school research projects and will be able to point you towards relevant papers, databases, and other academic tools. Although we're unable to provide 1-on-1 guidance outside of the synchronous sessions, we are confident that participants will have the tools to conduct their own research and present their findings by the Fall 2025 conference.
What is the time zone in which the summer program is held?
EST/EDT
Is the program residential?
Only the Tokyo Explore component of IYRC is residential. All other programs (Medicine Summer, Accomplished, STEM Winter) are not residential.
How many fellow batchmates an I expect for any networking purposes?
Our summer usually consists of ~400 students and ~40 teaching fellows (College/ Grad School mentors who hold office hours).
Each session will be held on Saturdays from 10:30 AM–1:00 PM EDT beginning June 21. We strongly encourage students to attend live. Most of the sessions are not recorded.
How will I receive guidance on my research project during the summer program?
There will be several opportunities to receive feedback on your project throughout the program. In addition to the peer feedback sessions, we will be hosting three workshops during the conference to help students learn the fundamentals of conducting research. Paul has extensive experience in mentoring high school research projects and will be able to point you towards relevant papers, databases, and other academic tools. Although we're unable to provide 1-on-1 guidance outside of the synchronous sessions, we are confident that participants will have the tools to conduct their own research and present their findings by the Fall 2025 conference.
What is the time zone in which the summer program is held?
EST/EDT
Is the program residential?
Only the Tokyo Explore component of IYRC is residential. All other programs (Medicine Summer, Accomplished, STEM Winter) are not residential.
How many fellow batchmates an I expect for any networking purposes?
Our summer usually consists of ~400 students and ~40 teaching fellows (College/ Grad School mentors who hold office hours).
Research
Who can submit research projects?
Only high school students may submit their research. University students, professionals, and other academics are not eligible. Furthermore, the first author must be a high school student. The research must be conducted solely or in vast majority by the first author.
Where can I submit my paper?
Paper submission for the Spring 2025 conference is now open. Click here to submit.
What kinds of research projects are eligible?
Students are encouraged to submit their original research in any field. We encourage you to look through past proceedings for examples of great high school–level research.
Are all submitted papers accepted?
No. All projects are subject to our blind review process and editorial review.
Who are the reviewers?
Our team of reviewers are qualified academics across a variety of STEM, humanities, and social science disciplines. Each reviewer is trained to provide meaningful and structured feedback. Reviewers will recommend to the editorial team to accept unconditionally, to accept with minor or major revisions, or to reject a paper.
Can more than one student present on the same paper?
Only the first author may present at the conference, but there can be more than one author.
Can I submit more than one paper? Or, can I submit a research paper and a community project?
Yes, you may submit more than one project per conference, but only one project per category (e.g. only one research paper and only one community project).
Where are research papers published?
Accepted research papers will be published in our conference proceedings, which are available on this website. Each paper receives a unique digital object identifier (DOI). Essentially, a DOI gives your publication a permanent home on the Internet.
Am I required to give a presentation? What if I only want to publish my conference proceedings paper?
All researchers are required to give an oral presentation during the conference. Students who do not present may be excluded from the conference proceedings.
Can I present my research at the IYRC if I've already presented it elsewhere?
No. The IYRC does not accept research papers that have been published or presented elsewhere; this is a form of plagiarism. Moreover, the IYRC has zero tolerance for academic misconduct. Students who are found to be in violation of the IYRC's policies for publishing will be removed from the conference and have their paper retracted.
Is the research program open to university students?
The research program is primarily designed and intended for high school students and new college students. University students are still welcome to participate but should be aware that the majority of the participants would be high school students.
Only high school students may submit their research. University students, professionals, and other academics are not eligible. Furthermore, the first author must be a high school student. The research must be conducted solely or in vast majority by the first author.
Where can I submit my paper?
Paper submission for the Spring 2025 conference is now open. Click here to submit.
What kinds of research projects are eligible?
Students are encouraged to submit their original research in any field. We encourage you to look through past proceedings for examples of great high school–level research.
Are all submitted papers accepted?
No. All projects are subject to our blind review process and editorial review.
Who are the reviewers?
Our team of reviewers are qualified academics across a variety of STEM, humanities, and social science disciplines. Each reviewer is trained to provide meaningful and structured feedback. Reviewers will recommend to the editorial team to accept unconditionally, to accept with minor or major revisions, or to reject a paper.
Can more than one student present on the same paper?
Only the first author may present at the conference, but there can be more than one author.
Can I submit more than one paper? Or, can I submit a research paper and a community project?
Yes, you may submit more than one project per conference, but only one project per category (e.g. only one research paper and only one community project).
Where are research papers published?
Accepted research papers will be published in our conference proceedings, which are available on this website. Each paper receives a unique digital object identifier (DOI). Essentially, a DOI gives your publication a permanent home on the Internet.
Am I required to give a presentation? What if I only want to publish my conference proceedings paper?
All researchers are required to give an oral presentation during the conference. Students who do not present may be excluded from the conference proceedings.
Can I present my research at the IYRC if I've already presented it elsewhere?
No. The IYRC does not accept research papers that have been published or presented elsewhere; this is a form of plagiarism. Moreover, the IYRC has zero tolerance for academic misconduct. Students who are found to be in violation of the IYRC's policies for publishing will be removed from the conference and have their paper retracted.
Is the research program open to university students?
The research program is primarily designed and intended for high school students and new college students. University students are still welcome to participate but should be aware that the majority of the participants would be high school students.
Where will the conference be held?
Our next conference will be held in-person in Tokyo on June 28, 2025 and virtually on July 26, 2025.
When is the recommendation letter from teachers due?
It depends on the applicant’s details and screening results. The teacher recommendation is reserved for borderline applicants or those who were rejected from the community who then apply to med research. Therefore, not all teachers are contacted. If a teacher is contacted, we will not proceed with a student's application until that recommendation is received.
In-person Days
Are in-person days mandatory?
In-person days are mostly intended for NYC students from the ACComPLISHED Community Health Worker Program. If out of town students happen to be in the area, they are welcome to join but it is not mandatory.
Location of In-person days
Some sessions are at the main Morningside campus (undergrad campus) of Columbia. Others are at the medical campus (Roy and Diana Valegos Education Center)
Schedule of In-person days
In-person days are typically from 10am to 4pm.
In-person days are mostly intended for NYC students from the ACComPLISHED Community Health Worker Program. If out of town students happen to be in the area, they are welcome to join but it is not mandatory.
Location of In-person days
Some sessions are at the main Morningside campus (undergrad campus) of Columbia. Others are at the medical campus (Roy and Diana Valegos Education Center)
Schedule of In-person days
In-person days are typically from 10am to 4pm.
What are some examples of past research projects?
Does your symposium happen on one day or every Saturday?
The program teaching happens every Saturday during the cohort. The symposium/ graduation after the cohort concludes is one day.
Is the summer program suitable for school students to participate in?
Yes! It is primarily designed and intended for high school students. A small minority of participants will be new college students as well.
The live sessions will be on Saturdays. Will there be materials provided to learn on other days of the week?
Yes, there will be asynchronous materials throughout the weeks. Students can expect ~ 10 hours of materials a week. There are also office hours available with teaching fellows throughout the week to support students.
Are the research topics assigned by the faculty to each student or is it open for the student to come up with a topic?
It is open to the student to choose a topic of interest to them. Students can change topics at any time based on their interest, but we encourage students to think of a project early, so they can maximize their time over the summer.
Is it expected that students are already doing research on a topic?
It is not expected that students are already doing research. We have many students doing their first research project with us.
How does the in-person meetings for the Community Literacy Worker certification work?
In-person days factor into attendance for students in New York City and surrounding areas. They do not factor into attendance for students outside of NYC. In-person days are a mix of fun days (summer barbecue) and productive days (lectures, posters, and activities). They typically happen on Columbia's campus.
If the program is fully virtual, how does the research component work?
Students are often surprised to learn that research extends beyond bench research. Students will engage in graduate student level data analysis and secondary research.
How do I apply for Financial Aid?
The IYRC believes that financial circumstances should not be a barrier to education. Thus, we offer financial aid/ waivers to accepted students with demonstrated need.
The process is simple, once accepted into the Medicine and Research Summer Program, you can apply for financial aid/waiver by emailing us directly at [email protected]. We will then send you the form that you will fill out.
All information provided during this process will be confidential.
The process is simple, once accepted into the Medicine and Research Summer Program, you can apply for financial aid/waiver by emailing us directly at [email protected]. We will then send you the form that you will fill out.
All information provided during this process will be confidential.
Feel free to get in touch with us if you have other concerns.
