Medicine & Society: The Intersection of Health and Influence (January 24-February 27, 2026)
Meeting Day/Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:00PM-7:00PM CST
Instructor: Christopher Hansen-Randall | View Instructor Bio

In this mini mentorship, you will delve into the dynamic and complex relationship between medical advancements and the societies in which they occur. From examining landmark events like the eradication of smallpox to analyzing what went wrong during the Thalidomide scandal, this mentorship emphasizes critical thinking about the ethical, social, and political dimensions of health care. Using historical case studies and current events, you will examine how groundbreaking discoveries and medical disasters alike have been shaped by ethical decisions, public opinion, religious beliefs, and economic factors and ask important questions, such as “Why have some groups been treated unfairly in healthcare? How do public opinion and government decisions influence medical practice? At the end of the mentorship, you will create a project where you design a plan to respond to a public health emergency or solve an ethical issue in medicine, using what you have learned. If you’ve ever wondered how doctors, scientists, and leaders make tough decisions—or how we can learn from the past to improve health for everyone—this mini mentorship is for you!

Becoming a Water Scientist: Exploring the Hidden Life of Lakes and Rivers (January 24-February 27, 2026)
Meeting Day/Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:30PM-7:30PM CST
Instructor: Mahir Tajwar | View Instructor Bio

Have you ever wondered how scientists know whether a lake is healthy, why some rivers sparkle with life while others turn cloudy, or how climate change and pollution affect the water we drink? In this mentorship, you’ll step into the role of a water scientist and learn how to investigate the hidden chemistry and biology of aquatic ecosystems. Throughout the mentorship, you will gain hands-on experience with the core concepts of water quality. Using simple testing kits that you can use at home, you will measure pH, turbidity, and other basic properties, while working with authentic research datasets collected from lakes and rivers around the world. Together, we will explore how scientists monitor dissolved oxygen, nutrients, and contaminants, and you will see how these variables reveal the story of an ecosystem’s health. You’ll also get a glimpse into how scientists use advanced tools—such as isotope analysis and environmental sensors—to answer pressing questions about climate change, pollution, and biodiversity.

In addition to exploring science, this mentorship emphasizes the process of thinking like a scientist. You will practice framing research questions, interpreting evidence, and communicating your findings to others. As part of our exploration, we will dive deeper into the hydrologic cycle—how water moves between the atmosphere, surface waters, and underground reservoirs. You will learn how aquifer systems store and release groundwater, and why these hidden reserves are both essential and vulnerable. We will discuss the impacts of climate change, such as altered rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and extreme events, on freshwater systems. Interactive activities will include a groundwater contamination simulation, where you trace how pollutants move through soil layers, and a water filtration challenge, where you design a small model to clean dirty water using household materials. By engaging in these processes, you’ll see how science connects to real-world challenges like safe drinking water, ecosystem resilience, and global sustainability. By the end of this mentorship, you will not only know how to describe and analyze environmental datasets, but you will also experience what it’s like to communicate science as a professional. Our time together will culminate in a final project: a “Water Scientist’s Report” written in the style of a policy white paper, where you apply your skills to evaluate a water source of your choice and make recommendations for improving water quality. If you have ever been curious about the science behind safe water—or if you dream of contributing to global sustainability—this mentorship is for you!

Electrons in Motion: The Hidden Chemistry Driving Innovation (January 24-February 27, 2026)
Meeting Day/Time: Mondays & Thursdays, 6:00PM-8:00PM CST
Instructor: Hannah Richards | View Instructor Bio

What do a glowing lightbulb, a rusting metal nail, and an electric vehicle all have in common? They are powered by the invisible movement of electrons—and the chemistry behind them is full of fascinating surprises! In this mini mentorship, you’ll embark on a journey as a chemist, delving into the hidden mechanisms of electrons with a Vanderbilt analytical electrochemist as your guide. Together, we’ll investigate how electron flow drives real-world technologies and explore the chemical reactions happening behind the scenes. We will begin by diving into atomic structure and the periodic table of elements to understand how atoms behave and why electrons move the way they do. From there, we’ll explore key electrochemical concepts such as oxidation-reduction reactions and the hidden chemistry of batteries. Using simple materials, you will construct your own electrochemical cells and analyze how these systems mimic the technologies used in electric vehicles! Throughout this investigation, you will engage with scientific literature, practice asking research-driven questions, and explore the connections between chemistry and innovation. By the end of the mini mentorship, you will complete your own research uncovering the hidden electrochemistry that powers electric vehicles. With guidance and feedback from your mentor, you will present your findings in a scientific format—just like a real chemist! Get ready to explore electrons and complex phenomena as you uncover the chemistry driving the future!

Psychological Science Research: Solving the Human Puzzle (January 24-February 27, 2026)
Meeting Day/Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00PM-8:00PM CST
Instructor: Zach Stuckelman, PhD | View Instructor Bio

Would you say yes if someone asked you to work on the world’s greatest, most perplexing puzzle for a living? Psychological science researchers have asked this question! What is this puzzle? Humans! Psychological researchers study how humans think, learn, feel, and why they act in a certain way. If the human puzzle intrigues you, you may be interested in studying psychology and becoming a psychological science researcher. This mini mentorship experience will allow you the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of researching within psychological science so that you have the knowledge to develop a research proposal that interests YOU the most (cognitive, social, or developmental) while receiving a personalized mentorship to make your introduction to psychological research successful and impactful. The final project will be your own research proposal that reflects what psychological researchers are asked to do at the career level. Together, we will learn how to view, interpret, and critique others’ research by studying existing scientific literature and studies. We will then use our budding understanding of psychological research to write research questions, form hypotheses, and design a novel study!

The Code of Cancer: Past, Present, and Future of Research and Treatment (January 24-February 27, 2026)
Meeting Day/Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00PM-8:00PM CST
Instructor: Emily Berestesky | View Instructor Bio

With an overall improved quality of life, nowadays more people are living long enough to develop different cancers. But what really is cancer, and how do we know? How has cancer treatment progressed over time, and what mistakes in patient care have we grown from? In this mentorship, we will explore how our perspective on cancer and cancer treatment has shifted throughout time, as well as the ethically complex events and crucial legal precedents that have come out of medical research to bring us where we are today. We will start off by discussing the basics and theories about cancer biology. Then, you will get a chance to learn how we study cancer today and the long-lasting impacts of Henrietta Lacks on cancer research. Next, we will discuss ethical disparities and issues and medical legislature when it comes to cancer research and treatment. Lastly, you will explore how our understanding of cancer has shaped treatment throughout history including modern advancements and where future treatment is headed. For your final project, you will select a crucial individual in the history of cancer and spotlight their contributions, explain how their findings have influenced the present, and speculate on how they will continue to impact the future. You will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with how to use research tools to search scientific literature, as well as develop a larger preceptive on the complexity and ethics surrounding cancer treatment.

Eco-Anthropology: Investigating Our Local Environmental Stories (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00PM CST
Instructors: Kathyrn Peters | View Instructor Bio

This mentorship will introduce you to the exciting field of environmental anthropology, where you will explore the relationships between humans and the natural environment. You’ll learn how different communities experience and respond to environmental challenges like waste management, pollution, water use, and access to green spaces. Using ethnographic research methods (such as participant observation and interviews), you’ll dive into real-world issues, collecting and analyzing data to understand how culture, social norms, and power dynamics shape local environmental problems and solutions. Throughout the mentorship, you’ll develop valuable research skills as you design and carry out your own project, allowing you to think critically about human behavior and its impact on the environment. By the end, you’ll not only understand important environmental issues but also gain skills to advocate for positive change in your community.

Electrons in Motion: The Hidden Chemistry Driving Innovation (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00PM CST
Instructors: Hannah Richards | View Instructor Bio

What do a glowing lightbulb, a rusting metal nail, and an electric vehicle all have in common? They are powered by the invisible movement of electrons—and the chemistry behind them is full of fascinating surprises! In this mini mentorship, you’ll embark on a journey as a chemist delving into the hidden mechanisms of electrons with a Vanderbilt analytical electrochemist as your guide. Together with your peers, you’ll investigate how electron flow drives real-world technologies and explore the chemical reactions happening behind the scenes. You will begin by diving into atomic structure and the periodic table of elements to understand how atoms behave and why electrons move the way they do. From there, you’ll explore key electrochemical concepts such as oxidation-reduction reactions, electrode behavior, and the hidden chemistry of batteries. Using simple materials, you will construct your own electrochemical cells and analyze how these systems mimic the technologies used in electric vehicles! Throughout this investigation, you will engage with scientific literature, practice asking research-driven questions, and explore the connections between chemistry and innovation. By the end of the mini mentorship, you will complete your own research uncovering the hidden electrochemistry that powers electric vehicles. With guidance and feedback from your mentor, you will present your findings in a scientific format—just like a real chemist! Get ready to explore electrons and complex phenomena as you uncover the chemistry driving the future!

Psychological Science Research: Solving the Human Puzzle (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:30 to 7:30PM CST
Instructors: Zach Stuckelman | View Instructor Bio

Would you say yes if someone asked you to work on the world’s greatest, most perplexing puzzle for a living? Psychological science researchers have asked this question! What is this puzzle? Humans! Psychological researchers study how humans think, learn, feel, and why they act in a certain way. If the human puzzle intrigues you, you may be interested in studying psychology and becoming a psychological science researcher. This mini mentorship experience will allow you the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of researching within psychological science so that you have the knowledge to develop a research proposal that interests YOU the most (cognitive, social, or developmental) while receiving a personalized mentorship to make your introduction to psychological research successful and impactful. The final project will be your own research proposal that reflects what psychological researchers are asked to do at the career level. Together, we will learn how to view, interpret, and critique others’ research by studying existing scientific literature and studies. We will then use our budding understanding of psychological research to write research questions, form hypotheses, and design a novel study!

Medicine and Society: The Intersection of Health and Influence (8th-9th grades) [full, waiting list only]
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:00 to 7:00PM CST
Instructors: Christopher Hansen-Randall | View Instructor Bio

In this mini mentorship, you will delve into the dynamic and complex relationship between medical advancements and the societies in which they occur. From examining landmark events like the eradication of smallpox to analyzing what went wrong during the Thalidomide scandal, this mentorship emphasizes critical thinking about the ethical, social, and political dimensions of health care. Using historical case studies and current events, you will examine how groundbreaking discoveries and medical disasters alike have been shaped by ethical decisions, public opinion, religious beliefs, and economic factors and ask important questions, such as “Why have some groups been treated unfairly in healthcare? How do public opinion and government decisions influence medical practice? At the end of the mentorship, you will create a project where you design a plan to respond to a public health emergency or solve an ethical issue in medicine, using what you have learned. If you’ve ever wondered how doctors, scientists, and leaders make tough decisions—or how we can learn from the past to improve health for everyone—this mini mentorship is for you!

What’s in a Memory: Exploring the Intersections of the Brain, Memory and Biology (8th-9th grades) [full, waiting list only]
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00PM CST
Instructors: Caroline Baggeroer | View Instructor Bio

Think about one of your favorite memories: What details can you remember about this event? How do you feel when you think about this memory? Why is it that you can remember this event exactly as it occurred, but you may have trouble remembering what you had for breakfast exactly one week ago? And why is it that some patients lose access to these memories as they age? This mentorship will explore the answers to all these questions and more by addressing the central question, “What’s in a Memory?” You will delve into the field of cognitive neuroscience, a subfield of neuroscience that studies biological processes that underlie human cognition. Through a combination of lectures, clinical cases, independent readings, and group activities, you will learn more about clinical conditions that affect cognition and ongoing research aimed at understanding, preventing, and treating such conditions. By the end of the mini mentorship, you will (1) be knowledgeable about the different domains of cognition and corresponding brain regions, (2) be able to identify the most common causes of dementia and discuss ongoing research, and (3) become familiar with possible training and career opportunities focused on cognition. Join this experience to explore the science of memory and cognition analyzing clinical cases based on real-life patient scenarios just like neuropsychologists and neuroscientists!

Psychological Science Research: Solving the Human Puzzle (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 5:30 to 7:30PM CST
Instructors: Zach Stuckelman | View Instructor Bio

Would you say yes if someone asked you to work on the world’s greatest, most perplexing puzzle for a living? Psychological science researchers have asked this question! What is this puzzle? Humans! Psychological researchers study how humans think, learn, feel, and why they act in a certain way. If the human puzzle intrigues you, you may be interested in studying psychology and becoming a psychological science researcher. This mini mentorship experience will allow you the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of researching within psychological science so that you have the knowledge to develop a research proposal that interests YOU the most (cognitive, social, or developmental) while receiving a personalized mentorship to make your introduction to psychological research successful and impactful. The final project will be your own research proposal that reflects what psychological researchers are asked to do at the career level. Together, we will learn how to view, interpret, and critique others’ research by studying existing scientific literature and studies. We will then use our budding understanding of psychological research to write research questions, form hypotheses, and design a novel study!

Molecular Magic: The Secrets of Cell Biology (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00PM CST
Instructors: Julie Burkett | View Instructor Bio

Imagine a tiny factory inside every living thing! That’s what cells are. In this mini mentorship, you’ll embark on a journey as a cellular investigator, delving into the world of molecular machinery with a Vanderbilt molecular physiologist as your guide. From the smallest building blocks to the complex structures of our bodies, you’ll uncover the incredible order and efficiency that underlies life. How do we go from a single protein in a tiny microbe to a whole human? You’ll begin by examining cell theory and understanding why cells are organized as they are. Then you’ll dive deeper into the intricate processes that drive cellular function, such as gene expression, protein synthesis, and energy metabolism. Throughout this investigation, you’ll familiarize yourself with the tools and techniques used by real scientists to study these molecular machines. By the end of the mini mentorship, you’ll have the opportunity to identify and follow your favorite gene (YFG) through the cellular factory, from its DNA sequence to its final functional protein product. This research experience will help solidify your understanding of cellular processes and provide you with valuable skills for future scientific endeavors. Get ready to unravel the molecular magic within the body’s cells and discover the interconnectedness of all things!

Eco-Anthropology: Investigating Our Local Environmental Stories (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00PM CST
Instructors: Kathryn Peters | View Instructor Bio

This mentorship will immerse you in the study of environmental anthropology by guiding your exploration of the complex relationships between humans and the natural environment. Using ethnographic research methods, you will investigate how environmental issues, such as waste management, pollution, water use, or access to green spaces, are understood, experienced, and addressed by different communities. Throughout the mentorship, you will apply rigorous data collection and analysis techniques, systematically documenting cultural practices, social norms, and power dynamics that shape local environmental challenges and responses. With this scholarly and theoretical foundation, you will design and conduct your own research project for the final assignment, learning to critically analyze the interactions between human behavior and ecological systems while fostering environmental awareness and advocacy.

How the Human Body Heals: An Introduction to Tissue Engineering (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00 PM CST
Instructors: Duby Okonkwo | View Instructor Bio

Are you curious about how your body works? Are you curious about how your paper cuts heal? Do you want to learn about the amazing organs that make up your body and how they work together to keep you healthy? In this course, you’ll explore the fascinating world of organ physiology and healing with a Vanderbilt M.D./Ph.D. student as your guide! You’ll start by discovering how all of our organs come from one tiny cell and how they share the same DNA, even though they look and work differently. Then, you’ll dive into the different roles that our organs play in keeping our bodies healthy and how they heal when they get hurt. You’ll compare the organs that heal well to those that don’t, and find out what makes them different. But that’s not all! You’ll also explore the challenges that researchers face when trying to design effective treatments to promote healing. You’ll learn what tissue engineering is and how it attempts to overcome these challenges. And to top it all off, you’ll get to choose an organ that interests you, learn about its physiology, and learn about a common condition that affect it in depth. This course is perfect for students who are interested in science, medicine, and the human body. It is a really fun learning opportunity to gain basic beginner level knowledge in these fields. No previous knowledge is required.

From Ligands to Life: Exploring the Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Communication (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:30 to 7:30 PM CST
Instructors: Julie Burkett | View Instructor Bio

Encoded messages are being relayed throughout our bodies all day, every day, every second, every millisecond through the tireless work of many biological molecules and their signaling partners. Without this coordinated communication network between cells, life would not exist. Haven’t you ever wondered how, in a world where we struggle to coordinate hundreds of emails or text messages in a day, our cells can successfully coordinate millions of communications per minute? In this mini mentorship, you will learn the basics of cellular signaling which underly how an electrical pulse becomes a heartbeat, a thought becomes an action, food becomes fuel, an infection becomes a fever, and more. You will learn about the most common modes of cellular communication that keep your body in synchronicity from your head to your feet, and how disease may arise when these molecular message systems are interrupted. You will learn the basics of cellular receptors and intracellular signaling cascades, as well as the scientific techniques used to uncover these pathways. We will gain familiarity with exploring scientific literature and apply these skills to investigate what is new in the world of signaling and why so many cell signaling pathways make important pharmaceutical targets. You will leave this course with the knowledge of the most important cellular messages required to create and maintain life!

Neuroscience & Psychology: Principles and Applications of Research Science (7th-8th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 to 8:00 PM CST
Instructors: Pietra Bruni | View Instructor Bio

This mentorship will address the intersection between neuroscience and psychology, focusing on the exciting and complex work in research science. Psychologists are focused on causes, treatments, and prevention of different types of health conditions. This often involves understanding the most marvelous (and mystifying) component of the human body—the brain! We will begin by exploring how the brain works and interacts with other physiological systems to support life. We will learn about the most important neurotransmitters in our brain and investigate how they contribute to our emotions, learning, and overall health. This mini mentorship will provide a base of content knowledge crucial to the field, so you can begin the process of designing and developing your own research science project. Students will actively apply their new knowledge of brain function to develop hypotheses, analyze data, and draw conclusions based on their own empirical question. Throughout this mini mentorship, you can expect advanced lectures, labs, extensive study, an introduction to cognitive measures used in the field, and guest lectures from fellow psychologists and neuroscientists. This mini mentorship is designed to challenge you to see the world the way a neuroscientist does—pushing you to explore your interests in both creative and empirically meaningful ways. As research projects are an important part of every academic discipline, the skills learned will help prepare you for success in future science-focused coursework. Come ready to explore the diverse fields of neuroscience, psychology, and research science!

Biomechanical Perspectives of Hierarchical Bone Biology (8th-9th grades)
Meeting Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30PM to 7:30PM CST
Instructors: Emily Berestesky | View Instructor Bio

Bones serve many different purposes in our daily lives – as stores of key nutrients, a system of levers to allow us to push and pull, to keep ourselves upright and more! And we’re able to do all these things due to the structure of bones, from the arrangement of collagen to the way that our bones interact with each other. But what happens when one component of the hierarchical structure of bones becomes mutated or damaged? How does this small change affect the function of bones, and, more importantly, how do we identify these deviations in sick patients and create treatments to help them? In this mentorship, we’ll begin by discussing the structure-function relationship in bone, starting from the microarchitecture and working our way up to the whole body. From there, we’ll discuss commonly used methods in biomechanical research to study bone properties, such as 3-point bending, compressive testing, and micro-computed tomography. In the last part of the mentorship, we will discuss disease case studies where we will combine our early bone biology knowledge with engineering approaches for disease diagnosis and treatment for topics ranging from osteoporosis to the foreign body response from implants. In your final project, you will pick a disease and similarly identify the currently understood diseased-bone characteristics and describe what engineering approaches have been used to characterize and treat the disease. You will have the opportunity to familiarize yourself with how to read and find helpful literature, as well as practice combining different aspects of disease biology to gain a better understanding of the whole process and plan for patient diagnosis and treatment.

The Psychology and Neuroscience of Happiness (8th-9th grades)
Meeting Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 5:00PM to 7:00PM CST
Instructors: Ashleigh Maxcey | View Instructor Bio

How do we define and achieve happiness? What increases the human capacity for joy, meaning, and hope? What are the traits of a positive institution? Positive psychology is the study of exceeding baseline human potential. This immersion experience provides students with an opportunity to understand and implement habits that can increase their joy, meaning, and hope in our post-covid world rich in anxiety and depression. By the end of the mentorship, you will leave with a better understanding of the happiness tools that work for you, the peer-reviewed science behind the study of high achievement, the intersection of wellbeing and career paths, components of positive institutions, cultural differences in the pursuit of joy, and strategies to incorporate these lessons into college life and beyond. From successful leaders to compelling politicians to empathetic doctors, every future career path is enhanced using this scie.