GRIPS Summer 2025

The Genomics Research Internship Program at Stanford (GRIPS) brings summer internship opportunities in  computational  genetics and genomics to Bay Area high school students. 

GRIPS offers highly talented high school students a unique research experience, professional development, and community building opportunities. 

As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of each GRIPS scholar is our utmost priority.  The summer of 2025 the program will be a hybrid program.  Students will be participating in laboratory activities and group workshops and must be able to come to campus when necessary.

About the program

 

GRIPS is a twenty hour, eight week long research intensive experience for high school students. Program participants will be placed in a research laboratory for the summer and conduct genomics research under the supervision of a lab mentor.

The summer 2025 program will start on June 16 and end on August 7, 2025. Students in GRIPS must commit to participating for the entire duration of the program. This experience will be four hours per day, five days per week, for the entire internship period. The typical schedule is 9am - 1pm,  Monday through Friday.

While the main focus of the program is an immersive research experience, GRIPS students will also be expected to participate in all other program activities such as: 

    Weekly required sessions with all members of the cohort

    Panels and seminars on career paths in biomedical research

    Regular check in meetings with your research mentor

 

GRIPS Eligibility

  1. Open to local residents only.  We will continue to focus on students from Stanford's local community. Students must reside in one of the following counties: Alameda, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, or Santa Cruz counties.

  2. Students must be 16 or older by internship start date.

  3. Students must have some prior knowledge of biology, chemistry, or computer programming, whether through coursework or extracurricular activities.

  4. Students must have an unweighted GPA of at least 3.0.

GRIPS Application

 The  application link will be posted here mid-December.  

1. Essay: Statement of Purpose

Please summarize the reasons why you are applying to GRIPS, what you hope to gain by participating, and how it fits into your future educational and career objectives.

MAXIMUM 2000 characters, including spaces.

2. Essay: Contribution towards a diverse scientific process

Please elaborate on the following:
1) How do your personal obstacles, history, passions, and achievements equip you to make a distinctive contribution to the scientific community?
2) Why is the inclusion of a variety of perspectives essential in the field of science? 

MAXIMUM 2000 characters, including spaces.

3. Transcripts

An unofficial current transcript will be required to be uploaded as a single file.

4.  Resume/CV

A one page resume/CV will be required to upload as a pdf.

5. Letter of Recommendation

You will be asked to provide exactly 1 letter of recommendation. It should be from a science teacher, internship mentor, academic advisor, or guidance counselor. The letter should discuss your initiative, capacity, and motivation to conduct genetics research.

The application will ask for the contact information of your recommender. Your recommender will be prompted to independently submit their letter on your behalf. As the letter must be received by the application deadline, we strongly encourage you to talk to your recommender early, to give them sufficient time to submit it.

Financial aid and scholarships

While there is no fee to apply or participate in GRIPS, we provide a small number of need-based scholarships to help make this program more accessible.

Students must meet one of the following eligibility criteria to be considered for a scholarship:

1.Eligibility criteria

a. Annual family income <$50,000
  b. Currently enrolled in a federal, state, or local program that aids students from low-income families.
  c. Family receives public assistance
  d. Currently lives in government subsidized public housing, a foster home, or is homeless
  e. Other situations will be considered on a case by case basis

To apply for financial aid, please have your high school principal, high school counselor, or financial aid officer write a letter that explains your financial need. Alternative supporting documentation may be permitted on a case by case basis. It should be sent directly to the review committee at: grips-program@stanford.edu

All information will be kept confidential, and used only by the review committee to make financial aid decisions. Alternative supporting documentation may be permitted on a case by case basis. Please email the review committee with any questions (grips-program@stanford.edu).

Deadlines 2025

The deadline to receive all application materials, including letters of recommendation, is February 28, 2025. If you have any questions about the application process, please send an email to grips-program@stanford.edu.

Application Timeline

Application is open:  Apply at this link.

Application Materials Due: February 28, 2025 at 11:59 PM PDT

Admission Notifications Sent: March 15 - April 14, 2025.  Students that are accepted will be contacted during this time period. Only a small cohort will be able to participate in the virtual sessions. You will not be notified if you are not selected.

2025 Program Dates: June 16- August 7, 2025.