Midwood High School

The Midwood Science Research program prepares students to do college level research in any and all disciplines of science (biology, chemistry, physics, geology, meteorology, astronomy, medicine, public health, psychology, archaeology, engineering, mathematics, computer programming, etc.). Our students work with mentors who are PhDs and/or MDs in university, medical, government, and industrial laboratories across New York City. Potential candidates for our program are selected from the top 12% of the freshman class. They are enrolled in an enrichment class in their sophomore year where they are taught statistics, laboratory techniques, reading and writing in the sciences, and the scientific method. They first design and then execute their own research project. At the end of the year these students present their findings at the Midwood Science Fair. Their projects are judged by the upperclassmen, teachers, alumni, and fans of our program. Students who elect to continue into their junior year are given career counseling and are sent in search of unpaid internships in labs across the city. We have no formal affiliation with any institutions and the students find positions almost entirely on their own. At this point they begin the real serious work. Projects last from 5 to 15 months and students put in hundreds of hours at their work sites. Students work side by side with principal investigators, postdoctoral scholars, and college students of all levels. The senior year is spent writing a full-fledged scientific research paper and a poster (and sometimes a slide presentation). These are then entered into national and local science competitions such as the Regeneron Science Talent Search (Regeneron STS), the New York City Science and Engineering Fair (NYCSEF), and others. Students participate in a competition every month or so from September through May of their senior year. Some are included as co-authors on papers published in scientific journals and posters and talks presented at national conferences. Students who make it into the senior year of the Science Research Program have proved to us that they have the intellectual skills, independence, and commitment to hard work needed to succeed academically and professionally.