Applications will be available Thursday, May 15 for MIT Edgerton Center’s summer Engineering Design Workshop for rising Grade 9-12 students in the greater Boston area.  It’s a four-week, non-residential program in which small teams design, build, and test projects that combine engineering, art, and science.  (Video from the 2011 session.)  For more information, contact instructor Alban Cobi (email).

Boston University’s U-Design (formerly DESIGNCAMP) is a summer STEM program for students in Grades 6-9 at time of registration.  Three hands-on laboratory workshops allow students to explore design, exploration, experimentation, and invention.  They are scheduled in five-day sessions, 8:30AM-4PM, at BU’s College of Engineering:

• Flight School 101:  Grades 7-9, July 28-August 1
• Robo-Alley:  Grades 7-9, July 21-25 or July 28-August 1
• Electrical & Mechanical Gizmos:  Grades 6-8, July 21-25

Cost is $425 for first session and $400 for any additional session, and limited scholarships are available for those in need. Limited to 20 students per workshop session.  Register online.  For more information call 617-353-2800 or e-mail u-design@bu.edu.

This summer the Innovation Institute in Newtonville is offering a range of one-week mini-courses, 9AM-noon, between June 9 and August 15 for kindergarten through Grade 8 and beyond.  See the schedule for these courses and register online.

• Biology in Our Backyard: Investigating Plants and Animals within an Urban Landscape (K-2)
• Architects of the Future: Using Recycled Materials to Create a ‘Greener’ City (K-2)
• Alternative Energies Explorations I: The Science and Design of Solar Vehicles or Net-Zero Homes (2-3)
• Luminescence and Fluorescence: Investigations in the Natural and Built Worlds (3-5)
• Under the Microscope: Exploring Microorganisms (3-5)
• Sustainable Fashion: Designing Wearables with Zero Waste (5-8)
• Investigating Chemical Reactions: Making Mixtures & Molecules with LEGO (4-6)
• Alternative Energies II: The Science and Design of Hydrogen Vehicles (6-8)
• Molecular Biology: A Hands-On Approach (6-8)
• Hands-On 3D Printing: Experiencing the Third Dimension (6-8+)

Kapparate Computer Camps in Lexington offers computer-science summer camps for two age groups:

• Elementary students (age 9-11):  Creating your own website, making audio/video, and game modding.  No computer experience required.
• Middle/high school students (age 12+):  In the first half of the camp, students learn computer science and programming through projects involving music, video, encryption, games and math.  In the second half , they do a project individually or in groups and make a presentation on the last day of the camp.

For more information, email  inquiry@KTByte.com or call 818-748-8848.

Boston University’s School of Medicine CityLab runs its SummerLab Biotechnology Program to provide hands-on experience in laboratory, research, and presentation.  It’s open to students entering 7th grade through first year of college.  There are five one-week sessions, each of which meets Monday-Friday, 9AM-3PM.  Cost is $1000 per one-week session, and financial aid is available.  See the course descriptions and then register online as soon as possible, as space is limited.  For more information, call 617-638-5665 or email sumlab@bu.edu.

At Gann Academy in Waltham (students entering Grades 7-9):

• July 7-11: Solving Science Mysteries, Go for the Glow I
• July 14-18: Solving Science Mysteries, Go for the Glow I
• July 21-25: Go for the Glow I, Go for the Glow II

At Boston University:

• July 14-18:  Clinical Connection (wait list only)
• July 21-25:  Clinical Connection(wait list only), Neuroscience Unplugged
• July 28- August 1:  Clinical Connection (wait list only), Neuroscience Unplugged
• August 4-8:  Neuroscience Unplugged

iD Tech offers summer computer camps for boys and girls ages 7-17  and pre-college tech academies for teens 13-18, across the country.  In Massachusetts this summer, the iD Tech programs are:

• Week-long day camps (ages 7-17):  Amherst College (Amherst), Bentley University (Waltham), Merrimack College (North Andover)
• Week-long overnight camps (ages 10-17):  Amherst College (Amherst), Bentley University (Waltham), Merrimack College (North Andover)
• Two-week overnight Game Design & Development Academy (ages 13-18):  Harvard University (Cambridge)

A maximum of 8 students per instructor address a customized curriculum spanning topics such as game design, web design, coding, programming in Java and C++, Minecraft modding, film making, robotics, and photography.

Applications are now open for Junction, one of two summer programs offered by MIT’s Educational Studies Program (ESP) — a non-residential program for Boston-area students who have completed Grade 10, 11, or 12.  About 100 motivated students are accepted each year to learn about advanced academic topics and enjoy intellectual challenge in a fun and stimulating environment, 5-9PM Monday-Thursday, from July 7 to August 14 on MIT’s main campus.  The cost is $600 including dinner (generous, need-based financial aid is available).   Each student takes one core course before dinner and attends one of many seminars (changing daily) after dinner.  This year’s STEM-oriented core courses are:

• Environmental Chemistry
• Mathematical Insights in Computing
• Cryptographic Security
• Advanced Classical Physics
• Cellular Neurobiology
• Chemical Biology and Evolutionary Medicine

Students’ applications require well-thought-out responses and will be considered on an equal basis before the April 25 deadline (which might or might not be extended).  For further information, see details online or email junction@mit.edu.

This summer, between July 7 and August 15, the Innovation Institute in Newtonville will offer various one-week mini courses for grades K-8, ranging from a LEGO-inspired course called “Investigating Chemical Reactions” to “Designing  Wearables with Zero Waste.”  Course catalog and schedule are online.  Register online or call 617 340-9907.