Genomics Research Internship Program at Stanford (GRIPS)

The Genomics Research Internship Program at Stanford (GRIPS) offers summer internship opportunities in computational genetics and genomics to Bay Area high school students. GRIPS offers local high school students a unique research experience, professional development, and community building opportunities. 

Applications for the upcoming summer are accepted December – February each year. 

The Genomics Research Internship Program at Stanford (GRIPS) offers summer internship opportunities in computational genetics and genomics to Bay Area high school students. GRIPS offers local high school students a unique research experience, professional development, and community building opportunities. 

Applications for the upcoming summer are accepted December – February each year. 

GRIPS summer interns meet with their mentor outside the lab located at Porter Drive in Palo Alto.

About the GRIPS 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 2024 program will start on June 17 and end on August 8, 2024. 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: 

  • Panels and seminars on career paths in biomedical research

  • Regular check-in meetings with your research mentor

 

GRIPS eligibility

  • 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.

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

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

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

 

2024 deadlines

The deadline to receive all application materials, including letters of recommendation, is February 29, 2024. If you have any questions about the application process, please send an email to grips-program@stanford.edu.

Application Timeline

  • Application opens in December each year

  • Application Due: February 29, 2024 at 11:59 PM PDT

  • Admission Notifications Sent: March 15 - April 14, 2024. 
    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.

  • Program Dates: June 17- August 8, 2024.

 

GRIPS application components

Two essays

1) 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. (2000 char max)

2) Contribution towards a diverse scientific process
How do your personal obstacles, history, passions, and achievements equip you to make a distinctive contribution to the scientific community? Why is the inclusion of a variety of perspectives essential in the field of science? (2000 char max)

Supporting information

• Transcript(s)

• Resume/CV (1 page max)

• List of high school or college level science classes related to biology, chemistry, or computer programming

• List of any prior internship or research experiences (if applicable; prior experience is not necessary)

 

Letter of Recommendation
You will be asked to provide exactly 1 letter of recommendation. It must be received by the application deadline, so we strongly encourage you to talk to your recommender early to give them sufficient time to submit it.

The letter should be from a science teacher, internship mentor, academic advisor, or guidance counselor. It 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. 

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.

Low-income students are encouraged to apply for a scholarship. To be considered, please send proof of eligibility by the application deadline directly to the review committee at: grips-program@stanford.edu

Supporting documentation could include any of the following:

  1. A letter sent directly from your school counselor, principal, or financial aid officer that explains your financial need

  2. Documentation of applicant or guardian’s enrollment in EBT, WIC, BIC, MediCal, Medicaid, or CHIP

  3. Documentation that demonstrates an annual family income of <$75,000

  4. Documentation that demonstrates applicant lives in government subsidized public housing, a foster home, or is unhoused.

  5. Documentation of low family income with a high rent burden

  6. Other situations and documentation will be considered on a case by case basis

All information will be kept confidential, and used only by the review committee to make financial aid decisions. If you have any questions, please email the review committee.

 

Other programs at Stanford for high school students

Interested high school students are welcome to enroll in the “Fundamentals of Data Science In Precision Medicine and Cloud Computing” course. This college-level online course introduces learners to the field of precision medicine.

The Stanford Office of Community Engagement maintains a list of additional opportunities for high school students, which can be found online here.