High School Special Topics Program
What is the Special Topics Program?
Selected high school students will complete a program on a topic of their choosing, meeting approximately one hour each week throughout the semester with our volunteer STEM & Leaf Mentors and other program participants. Our mentors include students from a variety of backgrounds, including a PhD candidate, medical school students, and undergraduates from several departments. This is an unparalleled opportunity to learn about topics traditionally unavailable in high schools, showcase your talents on a collegiate level, and create projects that will have impact in your local community!
The meetings are conducted virtually, and any high school student from any part of the world may participate (but please note that meeting times will be set in CST).
Important Dates: Spring 2022 Session
Student App Opens
December 19th
Student App Closes
February 4th
Sessions Begin
Week of February 6th
Last Week of Sessions
April 25th
END OF SEMESTER SEMINAR: APRIL 24TH AT 10AM CST
Week of January 26th
What are the Topics?
Topics for the Spring 2022 semester are accessible in the link below! Here are examples of previous topics from our program.
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Political Organizing: Running a Campaign (Discussion) [Fall 2021]
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Creative Writing (Discussion + Project) [Fall 2021]
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Artificial Intelligence & the Philosophy of Mind (Lecture + Discussion) [Fall 2021]
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Health Philosophy & Policy (Discussion) [Fall 2021]
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Introduction to Cancer Biology (Discussion + Research + Publication) [Fall 2021]
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Introduction to Modern Agriculture (Discussion + Research) [Fall 2021]
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Ancient Greek Philosophy (Discussion) [Fall 2021]
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Healthcare Informatics: The New Frontier (Discussion) [Fall 2021]
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Mathematical Linguistics (Research) [Spring 2020]
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Computational Biology (Project-Based) [Fall 2020]
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Computational Linguistics (Research) [Fall 2020]
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Music and Memory (Discussion + Research) [Spring 2021]
Student Eligibility
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Students must be 13 years or older
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Students must be in high school
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Parent/Guardian permission required
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Parent/Guardian must submit application
Testimonial
"The STEM & Leaf Corps gave me an unique opportunity to dive deeper into biological topics through an interesting project. I learned valuable information about coding, which I had little knowledge of beforehand, so it was an amazing learning experience!"
~Prashamsa Ghimire, Computational Biology, Fall 2020
Meet Our Coordinators!
Anna Schmieding
Mark Gao
B.S. Biochemistry '23
We are so excited to be a part of this program! If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.
INTERESTED IN MENTORING?
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student (from any university), we would love to have you as a mentor! Fill out an interest form, and we will be in contact with you.
Other Questions?
If you have any questions about the modality of the Special Topics Programs, Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Mentor Commitment, or any concerns of any kind, please do not hesitate to reach out to either of the Special Topics Program coordinators directly or email stemleaf.corps@gmail.com.
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student and interested in leading a special topics program, please complete the mentor interest form and email the program coordinators.
