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Explore STEM pathways and build a personalized plan in this two-week Dartmouth academy for high school students.
Course Description
Step inside a laboratory, hear how a researcher found their path, and discover a field you might want to explore further.
In this course you will explore medicine, engineering, sustainability, computer science, biotechnology, and data science through laboratory visits, interactive workshops, faculty seminars, and conversations with researchers, alumni, and professionals.
The next step might be a subject to study, a research opportunity to investigate, or a mentor to seek out. You’ll explore higher-education pathways, practice making professional connections, and learn to explain scientific ideas clearly. Taking time to reflect helps you connect what you encounter with your own interests and strengths.
Each field offers a different way to work and a different set of questions to pursue. Compare those settings and working styles, and ask researchers how they found their way into the work.
At the STEM Futures Symposium, you’ll present your own STEM Futures Pathway Plan. It brings together possible directions and practical next steps drawn from the people, research, and settings you’ve encountered.
This two-week, full-day intensive academy is part of Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars in Hanover, New Hampshire. The academy is fully developed and run by Dartmouth and taught by Dartmouth faculty and expert instructors. The broader experience connects focused academic exploration with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study next.
What You Will Do
• Visit laboratories, research centers, and innovation spaces
• Join interactive workshops and faculty-led STEM seminars
• Talk with researchers, alumni, and STEM professionals
• Practice seeking mentors and explaining scientific ideas
• Compare STEM fields with your interests and strengths
• Present your personalized STEM Futures Pathway Plan
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Compare STEM fields through their research questions and working environments
• Ask useful questions about mentorship and educational pathways
• Connect personal interests with practical next steps in STEM exploration
You’ll leave with your personalized STEM Futures Pathway Plan and a certificate of completion.
Why STEM Pathways Skills Matter
STEM exploration is most useful when students can connect a broad field with specific next steps. Comparing disciplines helps them see how medicine, engineering, computing, sustainability, biotechnology, and data science approach different problems.
Conversations with researchers and professionals develop the ability to ask useful questions, seek mentorship, and explain emerging interests. Reflection then turns exposure into a plan. These skills help students navigate course choices, research opportunities, internships, and future study with greater intention, while leaving room for their interests to evolve as they encounter new ideas.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
If several STEM subjects catch your attention, you don’t have to choose one just yet. This academy lets you compare fields through laboratories, workshops, and conversations with people doing the work. It’s a fit for you if you want broad exposure and practical next steps before narrowing your interests. Reflection and a personalized presentation help you make sense of what you discover.
Recommended by 9 out of 10 Students
Based on students surveyed in the Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars program (2026)
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive