“I never thought I would read a real research paper in middle school. By the end I was the one explaining attention heads to my parents.”
Summer 2026 · Online · Week of June 15 → Saturday of Week 4
Read real science.
Together.
A 4-week online summer program where middle and high school students dissect real research papers with high school mentors — and present their own analysis at the end.
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Starting
Summer 2026
Format, dates, and what to expect from the four-week online cohort.
Read program detailsThe Archive
The 2025 Journal
Volume 1 — six literature reviews written by last year's cohort scholars.
Open the journalThe Team
Meet the mentors
The high school students who lead each cohort.
Meet the teamHow it works
Four-week rhythm.
Two 1-hour Zoom sessions per week. Mentors lead. Students read, discuss, and present.
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Day 1 — Introduction to research literature
Anatomy of a research paper. Types of research. Breakout rooms by subject to meet your mentor.
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Day 2 — Your first paper
Mentors introduce your cohort's first paper and walk you into the methods. Guided reading begins.
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Day 1 — Results & interpretation
Reading figures, tables, and statistical claims. Cohort discussion: what do the results actually show?
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Day 2 — Methods deep-dive
How researchers design a study — controls, variables, sample size. Identify methods in a short companion paper.
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Day 1 — Limitations and critique
Identifying limitations, confounders, and unanswered questions. How peer review and replication work.
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Day 2 — Connecting the paper to the field
Where does this paper fit? Related work, follow-ups, and choosing your final presentation angle.
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Day 1 — Final presentation preparation
A clinic on science communication. Mentors give live feedback on your draft slides.
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Day 2 — Presentation Day
Department heads introduce each group. Students present their analyses to peers and parents. Closing remarks.
Source: YSJC 2026 Program Outline (PDF)
Subjects
Six fields. One way of thinking.
Each cohort is small, mentor-led, and built around real research papers in its field.
Last summer
Photos from Showcase Day.
Newark Library Community Room — July 26, 2025.
Voices
What scholars are saying.
Placeholder quotes — replaced with real 2025 scholar quotes before launch.
“The mentor made the paper feel like a story. We argued about whether the experiment was even ethical, which was the whole point.”
“Going through "Attention Is All You Need" line by line changed how I read everything. I felt like a real scientist.”
Sign up for updates
Registration opens soon.
Drop your email and we'll send the registration form the moment it's live — plus the parent meeting Zoom link for the weekend of June 13–14.
We send 2-3 emails a year. No spam.