Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Explore neural systems and present a research topic in this 3-week neuroscience program for high school students on UT Austin’s campus.
Rated 4.5 out of 5 for classroom experience by students who took this course in 2026.
Course Description
How does the nervous system turn sensation into movement, memory, behavior, and adaptation? Students build an introductory map of neuroanatomy and neuroscience, then examine how cells, pathways, and systems contribute to human function. Course topics connect foundational structures with clinical applications and questions researchers are still investigating.
The schedule moves from an overview of the nervous system to prosthetics, peripheral nerves, motor pathways, sensory receptors, the autonomic nervous system, sleep, addiction, neurorehabilitation, and neurocognitive aging. Guest speakers add specialist perspectives. Tours of robotics, sleep and PsyBrain, and neurocognitive-aging research spaces show how neuroscience questions are studied with different tools.
Students write summaries of guest lectures and laboratory tours, prepare a PowerPoint presentation, and complete a final exam. Presenting twice during the final week requires them to organize a focused topic, use accurate terminology, and explain why the research matters. The combination of anatomical foundations, applications, and research exposure helps students compare possible directions within the field.
This three-week course takes place at UT Austin. The course is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic work with campus life, growing independence, and clearer direction about what students may want to study or pursue next. The program is developed by the University of Texas at Austin and offered in partnership with Summer Discovery.
What Will You Do?
• Map major nervous-system structures, pathways, and functional relationships
• Examine prosthetics, motor control, sensation, and autonomic regulation
• Investigate sleep, addiction, neurorehabilitation, and neurocognitive aging
• Tour robotics, sleep, PsyBrain, and aging research spaces
• Write summaries of guest lectures and laboratory visits
• Research and deliver a PowerPoint presentation on a neuroscience topic
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Explain major nervous-system structures, pathways, and selected clinical applications
• Compare how researchers investigate movement, sensation, sleep, addiction, and aging
• Synthesize neuroscience information in written summaries and an oral presentation
Students will leave with research reflections and a completed presentation, stronger neuroscience communication skills, and clearer direction for further study or careers in brain science, health, or rehabilitation.
Students receive a University of Texas branded certificate of completion at the end of the program.
Why Neuroscience Skills Matter
Neuroscience asks students to connect structures at several scales. A pathway may begin with a sensory receptor, travel through peripheral nerves, and influence movement or behavior through larger neural systems. Mapping those relationships develops systems thinking and precise scientific vocabulary.
Clinical and research examples add interpretation. Students consider how injury, aging, sleep, addiction, or rehabilitation can alter function and why researchers may use robotics, behavioral studies, or other approaches to investigate a question. Summarizing lectures and tours strengthens evidence-based communication. These skills support future study in biology, psychology, kinesiology, engineering, medicine, and scientific research.
Who Should Attend?
This course is for high school students who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade and are interested in the brain, behavior, movement, rehabilitation, psychology, biology, medicine, or biomedical technology. It is useful for students who want a broad introduction before selecting a more specialized neuroscience question.
Participants should be ready to learn detailed terminology, connect anatomy with function, attend research tours, engage with guest speakers, write concise summaries, prepare a presentation, and complete an exam. Curiosity about how the nervous system works is the key preparation. Applicants must also complete the program application.
Why UT Austin?
Studying on UT Austin’s Forty Acres campus gives high-school students a substantive introduction to academic life in Austin, Texas. Courses draw from popular undergraduate fields and Austin specialties. Full-day academies offer concentrated study, while classes across the program take place in campus classrooms and laboratories and may include guest speakers and fieldwork around Austin.
The experience extends beyond class for both residential and commuting students. Residential students live in Jester Hall, eat at J2, a popular campus dining hall, and take part in activities that may range from a star party at PMA to time at Gregory Gym, Zilker Park, South Congress, or an Austin FC match. Students gain independence, meet peers, and leave with a clearer view of college life, possible directions for future study, and what it can feel like to be a Longhorn.
UT Austin 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