Pathways Summer Scholars

Pathways Summer Scholars is a free two-week summer science day program designed for 100 rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grade Yale Pathways students. Each summer, Pathways Summer Scholars will have the opportunity to select from a variety of STEM workshops collaboratively designed and taught by Yale faculty and graduate students. The program covers a wide range of workshop topics, including, but not limited to, chemistry, coding, neuroscience, engineering, and more. Current Yale students serve as teaching assistants and mentors in the program. Rising Pathways seniors are also eligible to apply to the residential program, where they will reside in Yale dormitories and take part in college preparatory programming in addition to STEM workshops during the day.

Note: Pathways students in 9th through 11th grades will receive an application to their emails in February.  Program dates are in July

Program Description (in-person)

The strength of the Summer Scholars curriculum lies in broad-based support from the Yale community. In summer 2019, 142 Yale community members were involved in the program—supporting the program by teaching classes, serving as residential advisors, welcoming students into Yale research laboratories, and supporting the planning and preparation for the program.

Hands-on laboratory courses form the cornerstone of the Pathways Scholars curriculum, exposing students to college-level science courses and sparking their curiosity about new scientific fields. Last summer, students selected from 25 STEM workshops. Workshop topics included the Engineering On Tap: Designing Filtration Systems for Clean Water, The Microbes On and Around Me, Consciousness - Self, Science, and Society, and more. During the program, students could be found manipulating single molecules; dissecting worms and crayfish with medical school research scientists;  building string instruments in Yale’s Center for Engineering, Innovation & Design; extracting iron from breakfast cereal; or using their new DIY microscopes at the Yale Farm.

Rising high school seniors also recieved guidance on personal college essay in an intensive two-week writing workshop and engaged in sociological discussions during Doing College seminars. These sessions explored the broader social issues that influence the successful completion of a college degree, including topics related to transitioning to college life, understanding inequality in the higher education system, and finding the right college.  By living in Yale student dormitories, rising seniors had the opportunities to experience college life and participate in a variety of enrichment activities involving Yale’s world class researchers and cutting-edge laboratories.

Sample Day Program Schedule (in-person)

9:00 – 9:30          Group Meeting

9:30 – 11:00        Morning Workshop: Consciousness

11:15 – 12:15         Enrichment Lecture: Cosmic Archaeology: A Trip Back in Time

12:30 – 1:30         Lunch in Yale Dining Halls

1:45 – 3:15            Afternoon Workshop: College Essay Writing (Seniors Only)

3:30 – 4:00          Feedback, Dismissal and Pick-Ups

Sample Residential Program Schedule (in-person)

8:30 – 9:15          Breakfast in Yale Dining Halls

9:30 – 11:00       Morning Workshop: Bugs and Us

11:15 – 12:15        Enrichment Lecture: Drosophila and their Natural Enemies

12:30 – 1:30         Lunch in Yale Dining Halls

1:45 – 3:15            Afternoon Workshop: College Essay

3:30 – 5:00         “Doing College Right” College Prep

5:30 – 6:30          Dinner in Yale Dining Halls

7:00 – 10:00       Activity Time in the Yale Residential Colleges

11:00pm                Lights Out/Sleep