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Youth Neuroscience 2024

The Youth Neuroscience Summer Program is an intensive, six week-long neuroscience summer program hosted by the International Youth Neuroscience Association that teaches undergraduate introductory neuroscience from a critical thinking and applications standpoint. The program features lectures by esteemed professors and researchers, recitation sessions with teaching assistants, and application based assignments. Participants will attend among a cohort of students from more than 40 different countries—gaining a global network of peers.

Summer Program Timeline

Applications Open

February 25th: Summer Program applications get released!

Due Date

May 25: Summer Program applications are due!

Decision Release

June 8th: Decisions for the IYNA Summer Program will be released!

Program Dates

Program will be hosted June 24th to August 2nd virtually

Summer Program



Apply to be a part of the IYNA's collegiate level neuroscience courses!
Last year, around 200 students were accepted into our program!

These 200 students enjoy several neuroscience lectures every week from prestigious institutions and recitation sessions through student cohorts!
Application Form
Become a TEACHING ASSISTANT at the 2024 IYNA Summer Program. The Youth Neuroscience Summer Course allows students from all over the world to have access to neuroscience content and skill development that they may otherwise be able to do. Further questions related to becoming a TA can be sent to eharrison@youthneuro.org. TA APPLICATIONS ARE DUE March 25th at 11.59PM GMT
Teaching Assistant


Summer Program Tracks

Certificate Track The program's full schedule’s classes and recitations are expected to span 20-25 hours throughout the week. If you feel confident in meeting this criteria and would like to get credit for it, take the Certificate Track for any of the course options!
Participant Track
If you would prefer a more relaxed schedule with no attending/recitation requirements, we would recommend the Participant Path—which has all the same benefits as the Certificate Track but just doesn't give out a certificate!

Offered Courses

Neuroscience 1 Our Neuroscience I course is designed for students who have minimal exposure to neuroscience. The main topics this course will cover are cell biology of the nervous system, nervous system signaling, and the sensory systems. Please look at the Q and A section if you have further questions.
Dual Enrollment
If you are interested in taking both courses at the same time and are confident you can invest time into them both, you can opt to take the dual enrollment approach. This allows you to be a part of both the Neuroscience 1 and 2 programs at the same time this summer!
Neuroscience 2 Our Neuroscience II course is designed for students who have either completed Neuroscience I or have some background in neuroscience. This course introduces students to neurodevelopment, cognition, and neurological disease with a strong emphasis on building scientific literacy through peer-reviewed journal articles.


Youth Neuroscience Summer Program Video

Testimonials

Quotes from student experiences after being a part of the Youth Neuroscience Summer Programs!
"My favorite part of the program was the culminating capstone project. It allowed me to begin to explore literature and start to understand research. The project took much effort, but it was extremely rewarding to be able to present my knowledge of research being done in the field. Each part of the program was well thought out, and I’m glad I spent part of my summer learning neuroscience with Youth Neuroscience 2022." Andrew Mi Youth neuroscience '22
profile
"I loved Youth Neuroscience 2022 because of how challenging but supportive it was. I had no previous exposure or exploration when I first entered the course, but the weekly TA sessions were such a huge help in bonding with fellow students and learning the material on a deeper level." Lauren Kim Youth neuroscience '22 profile
"My favorite part of the Youth Neuroscience program was how there would always be so many unique lecturers from around the world that helped to teach neuroscience topics I had no idea about! The aspect of having new teachers every single session was amazing to me." Ryan Cho Youth neuroscience '23 profile


Frequently Asked Questions


Q1: What is the application process?

A: The application for this program launches on February 25th and is due May 25th. Notices of acceptance or rejection will be sent out by June 8th. Students must confirm participation in the program and submit initial registration materials by June 19th.

Q2: When is the program?

A: June 24th to August 2nd.

Q3: When will I be notified of the results?

A: See answer to “Q1: What is the application process?”.

Q4: Is there a cap on how many people will be accepted?

A: There is no cap on the number of people we accept. We will accept any number of curious applicants that indicate a passion for neuroscience in their application.

Q5: What if English isn’t my native language?

A: Please note that we currently are unable to translate lectures, and recitations will be conducted in English. You are required to participate in the recitations and lectures which will be most helpful if your English is proficient. Additionally, as a collaborative program, we recommend having proficient English (speaking and writing) to maximize the value of peer-to-peer interactions.

Q6: Where can I find out more?

A: Visit our website at youthneuro.org or email with specific questions.

Q7: If I participated last year, can I participate again?

A: Yes. We recommend all students start with Neuroscience I since Neuroscience II will rely heavily on skills gained for the experimental neuroscience lectures of Neuroscience I.

Q8: I am participating in a number of other summer activities. Should I apply?

A: The program's full schedule’s classes and recitations are expected to span 20-25 hours throughout the week. If you are able to balance your other activities with this schedule, we would recommend the Certificate Granting Path. If you would prefer a more relaxed schedule with no attending/recitation requirements, we would recommend the Participant Path—which does not grant the Certificate

Q9: What are the prerequisites for this program?

A: Students who have a basic knowledge of high school cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, and mathematics (around Algebra II) should enroll in Neuroscience I. Students who have experience in neuroscience at an advanced high school level or elementary undergraduate level may choose to enroll in Neuroscience II. If you have difficulty reading scientific literature, we would highly recommend you enroll in Neuroscience I. Please note, there is zero advantage you get by enrolling in a course that is beyond your level. Many topics discussed in Neuroscience II build off topics learned in Neuroscience I.

Q10: Could I enroll in both Neuroscience I and Neuroscience II?

A: Yes. Please note that each program is anticipated to take 20-25 hours a week, meaning dual enrollment could take 40-50 hours a week. We only recommend Dual Enrollment on the Certificate Granting Path for students who wish to dedicate the majority of the week to this program. For the topics covered by Neuroscience I and Neuroscience II, see the Youth Neuroscience Summer Program page.

Q11: What if I don't get accepted into the Certificate Track but still want to learn?

A: All rejected Certificate Track students will have the opportunity to learn through the Participant Track.


Summer Program Helpers

Eve Harrison

Department: Events

Head TA

Eve is pursuing her PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience & Psychology at the University of the West of Scotland, researching perceptual decision making during aging and Alzheimers Disease. Through her work with IYNA, she hopes to help as many budding-neuroscientists as possible to enter the field and find the same passion that she has through her own studies. In her spare time, Eve enjoys reading, gaming and diamond painting.

Sarah Liu

Department: Events

Youth Neuroscience Summer Program Director

Sarah is a high school senior in Los Angeles, and she is passionate about the overlap between art and neuroscience. Sarah works on project execution and marketing within the IYNA, including the Youth Neuroscience summer program. Currently, she serves as the president of her school's Neuroscience Club and as the program leader for an art therapy recovery program at a hospital in Downtown Los Angeles. Additionally, she runs her own curated vintage and art business. In her free time, she enjoys playing and collecting electric guitars and vinyl records.

Ryan Cho

Department: Events, Marketing Chapters

Youth Neuroscience Summer Program Co-Director, Website Lead, Regional Chapter Lead

Ryan is a junior at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. At IYNA, he aims to distribute neuroscience resources at no cost whenever possible. In IYNA, he is responsible for renovating the website to reduce costs, assisting in organizing the neuroscience summer program, and communicating with IYNA student chapters. He also enjoys exploring the fields of cognitive neuroscience and episodic memory using computational neuroscience.

Steven Jin

Department: Events

Events Director

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Jacob Umans

Department: all

Board Chair

Jacob Umans is a current MD/PhD student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and serves as Board Chair of the International Youth Neuroscience Association. He co-founded the IYNA as a high-school student, and is committed to making the IYNA a community in which students can explore a future in neuroscience and make like-minded friends while doing so.