GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS)

GeneLab for High Schools (GL4HS) is a free online summer program run by NASA's GeneLab at Ames Research Center for high school students across the United States. Over 12 weeks of on-demand training, students learn about NASA space biology research and how spaceflight affects biological systems, along with omics research methods and the bioinformatics and computational biology techniques used to analyze large datasets such as genetic sequences and protein interactions. The course is almost entirely self-paced, with recorded lectures, JupyterLab notebooks, readings, exercises, quizzes and optional weekly office hours, and takes about 20 hours a week. Students who finish the basic course can join teams of four for an optional Capstone Project, analyze bioinformatics datasets and present research proposals at a showcase near the end of summer. Students earn certificates. The program is free, and starting in 2026 it offers no stipend. The 2026 program ran June 1 to August 28.

US citizens and permanent residents attending US-based high schools can apply if they will enter 11th or 12th grade, or start college as freshmen, in the fall of the program year. Citizens of Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and the Northern Marianas are eligible. Applicants need at least one high school biology course (AP Biology is not required) and a minimum unweighted GPA of 3.0. A scanned high school transcript in PDF form must be submitted with the online application. The 2026 application period ran from February 15 to March 15, or until 1,000 applications were received.