Greater Boston Research Opportunities for Young Women (GROW)

GROW is a six-week paid summer research internship at Boston University for rising high school seniors in the Boston area. It is run by LERNet, BU's outreach group for middle and high school students. Each participant is placed in a BU lab on their own and works on research in biology, chemistry, earth and environment, computer science, or engineering. Students get mentoring in the lab, meet often with the program manager to set goals and report progress, and hear guest speakers talk about research and STEM careers. The summer ends with a symposium where participants present their research. The 2026 program ran July 6 to August 14, starting with a required one-day orientation, and lab work ran weekdays from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM. Students who finish all requirements receive a stipend of up to $2,000.

Applicants must be current high school juniors at a Massachusetts school, live within 30 miles of Boston, be at least 16 by July 1 of the program year (July 1, 2026 for the 2026 cycle), and have a strong record in science. Participants must attend the full six weeks plus orientation. The application asks for a transcript, guidance counselor contact, and two teacher recommendations, with at least one from a science or math teacher (no family or friends). For 2026, applications opened February 9 and all materials were due April 17.