Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy

Summer Student Academy COVID-19 Measures

At City of Hope, your health is our highest priority. We are taking all necessary precautions to protect our patrons and staff as the COVID-19 situation continues to evolve.

We hope to support an in-person program for the summer of 2023. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic we are unable to confirm a format at this time. We will provide updated information on the situation as we receive it.

Please stay safe and stay healthy.

Inquiry-based Biomedical Research for Undergraduate and Advanced High School Students

City of Hope's Eugene and Ruth Roberts Summer Student Academy gives curious and hardworking students the opportunity to learn about science by actually doing science work:

Unlike traditional high school or college classes where the course of study is entirely set by the instructor, City of Hope’s summer program students select their own research project according to their individual areas of interest. Selected participants then spend 10 weeks working full-time as a member of a biomedical research team.
Our world-renowned physicians and scientists serve as mentors, guiding students in their research, while helping them develop their critical thinking skills.
Weekly seminars allow students to present research findings to their peers, a good primer for what graduate and postdoctoral students do.
Workshops covered topics such as creating posters for research talks, biomedical ethics and other important subjects.
Students interact with their peers and their research mentors on a continual basis, fostering valuable relationships for the future.
Summer program participants also receive a stipend of $4,000 for their work.

Students who join this program are usually surprised and excited by what they learn about working in the world of science. Many see their names included on published research papers, and some have even patented and sold inventions developed with their mentors.

The program was established in 1960 by City of Hope’s director emeritus of neurobiochemistry, Eugene Roberts, Ph.D. Alexandra Levine, M.D., the Dr. Norman & Melinda Payson Professor in Medicine at City of Hope, is a Summer Student Program alumna, as are many prominent scientists in academia and industry.

Student Resources

Coming June 1st: We will have a few resources that may be of interest to you. In the meantime feel free to visit the Newsroom to read articles that may be of interest.