Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Build an engineering research proposal with Polygence during 2 weeks on the University of Michigan campus for high school students, then continue through 10 mentor sessions.
Course Description
Good engineering research begins before anything is built. Start with something you want to understand, then shape a question you can actually investigate.
In this course you will examine existing studies, compare sources, and try research-design exercises, cases, and proposal workshops. Quantitative methods use numbers; qualitative methods examine experiences or descriptions; mixed methods draw on both. Choose an approach that fits your engineering question, define variables, and consider ethics and the evidence you’ll need. Peer and instructor feedback help you narrow the scope and strengthen your reasoning.
On campus, develop an engineering research proposal, abstract, and professional scientific poster, then present in a symposium-style setting. The project continues through Polygence’s Core Research Program. After campus, join a virtual cohort and work one-to-one with a research mentor matched to your field of interest. Across 10 virtual sessions, you’ll continue at an individual pace toward a paper, symposium presentation, podcast, or another appropriate final format.
This two-week Summer Discovery full-day academy for high school students takes place on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Students focus on one academy for the full campus program. The hybrid academy combines the on-campus experience with the subsequent Polygence research program.
What Will You Do?
• Turn an engineering interest into a focused research question
• Evaluate literature and compare methods for gathering evidence
• Design a study with variables and ethical safeguards
• Draft a proposal, abstract, and professional scientific poster
• Present your plan in a symposium-style session
• Continue through 10 one-to-one virtual Polygence mentor sessions
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Formulate a focused engineering research question grounded in existing evidence
• Select and justify research methods appropriate to a proposed investigation
• Communicate a research plan through an abstract, proposal, poster, and oral presentation
You’ll leave with your engineering research proposal, abstract, scientific poster, continuation plan for Polygence mentorship, and a certificate of completion.
Why Engineering Research Skills Matter
Engineering research skills help students turn curiosity into a question that can be tested. A strong proposal requires more than an interesting idea. Students must examine what is already known, identify a gap, choose methods that can produce useful evidence, and anticipate limitations.
That process strengthens analytical reading, project planning, ethical reasoning, and communication. Revising a question after feedback teaches students to treat iteration as part of serious inquiry rather than as a setback. Creating a poster also pushes them to organize complex information for an audience. These skills support future work in engineering, science, design, and other fields where decisions depend on evidence and clearly stated assumptions.
Who Should Attend?
For students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade.
If you keep asking why a system works or what evidence would show a better approach, this academy lets you explore the research behind engineering. No finished research idea is required at the start. Reading technical material, discussing your reasoning, and revising after feedback help you find a question worth pursuing.
The commitment continues after campus through 10 one-to-one virtual sessions with a Polygence mentor matched to your field of interest.
Recommended by More Than 9 out of 10 Students
Based on students surveyed in Summer Discovery’s 2026 program at the University of Michigan.
Your Summer at University of Michigan
Programs on the University of Michigan campus give high-school students the experience of exploring an academic interest in Ann Arbor, a college town where campus and community life blend together. Tree-lined streets, downtown bookstores and cafés, the Nichols Arboretum, and trails near the Huron River create different ways to experience the setting beyond class.
Students learn alongside peers, navigate a large and active campus, and gain independence through everyday choices in a new environment. The experience helps students understand what university life can feel like while giving them space to deepen an interest without having every next step decided. For families, the program offers a meaningful combination of academic depth, community, personal growth, and clearer direction about what a student may want to study or pursue 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