Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Analyze inherited disease and precision medicine in this two-week Dartmouth academy for high school students.
Rated 4.3 out of 5 for overall experience by students surveyed across the broader program in 2026.
Course Description
Students investigate how genetic variation contributes to inherited disorders, complex disease, and differences in treatment. Case studies and current scientific literature provide a path into inheritance patterns, gene-environment interactions, genomics, and genetic testing.
The course connects biological mechanisms with the growing field of precision medicine. Students examine how genomic information can support prevention, diagnosis, and treatment, then read primary research to determine what a study found and what remains uncertain.
Scientific progress also raises social and ethical questions. Discussions of benefits, risks, privacy, access, and the effects of genetic knowledge ask students to consider how rapidly advancing technologies should be used. A visit to the Genomics Shared Resource Lab and a guest research perspective connect the work to current practice.
The academy asks students to move carefully between a genetic association, a biological explanation, and a possible medical use. That distinction helps them recognize both the potential of genomics and the uncertainty that must accompany responsible interpretation.
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. Residential and commuter students participate throughout the day, pairing focused academic work with campus life and growing independence.
What Will You Do?
• Analyze inheritance patterns associated with genetic disease
• Study gene-environment interactions and complex traits
• Read and interpret primary research in human genetics
• Examine genomics, genetic testing, and precision medicine
• Discuss the benefits, risks, and social implications of genetic research
• Visit the Genomics Shared Resource Lab
• Present an evidence-based explanation of a genetics question
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain inheritance patterns and gene-environment interactions in human disease
• Interpret primary genetics research and connect genomic information with precision medicine
• Evaluate scientific, ethical, and social implications of genetic testing and research
Students leave with a research-based genetics analysis, stronger scientific literacy, and clearer direction about biology, medicine, biotechnology, public health, or bioethics.
Why Human Genetics Skills Matter
Human genetics helps students connect molecular information with health while recognizing that genes rarely tell the whole story. Inheritance patterns, environmental influences, and genomic variation must be interpreted through evidence rather than treated as simple predictions.
Reading research and discussing genetic testing develop scientific literacy and ethical judgment. Students learn to ask what a result can support, who has access to the information, and how it might affect individuals or communities. These skills matter in biology, medicine, biotechnology, public health, precision medicine, and bioethics.
Who Should Attend?
This academy is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in genetics, biology, medicine, biotechnology, public health, or ethical questions raised by new science. It is a strong fit for students who want to connect molecular mechanisms with patient and societal consequences.
Participants should be ready to read scientific material, analyze inheritance patterns, discuss uncertainty, and engage respectfully with sensitive questions about genetic information. The source does not list a formal prerequisite. Prior biology may be helpful, but careful reading and curiosity are the main expectations.
Recommended by 9 out of 10 Students
Based on students surveyed in the Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars program (2026)
Why Dartmouth?
Dartmouth Precollege Summer Scholars gives high school students a concentrated introduction to college-level learning in Hanover, New Hampshire. The intensive, noncredit academies are fully developed and run by Dartmouth and taught by Dartmouth faculty and expert instructors. Students explore current ideas through discussion, projects, and sustained work that helps them test an academic interest in depth.
Residential students live in Dartmouth residence halls, eat at 53 Commons, and can join workshops and counselor-supported evening and weekend activities. Time in Hanover and the Upper Valley adds a distinctive New England setting, while the broader experience helps students build independence and clarify what they may want to study next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive