Waksman Institute Summer Experience (WISE)

The Waksman Institute Summer Experience (WISE) is a two-week, non-residential summer molecular biology program at the Waksman Institute of Microbiology on Rutgers University's Busch campus in Piscataway, New Jersey, for high school students who have completed biology. A virtual version, vWISE, is also offered. In WISE, students attend daily seminars and lab sessions, carry out molecular biology procedures on DNA fragments, analyze gene sequences with bioinformatics tools and submit vetted sequences for publication on GenBank, with independent homework. vWISE runs online without lab work. In 2026, WISE sessions ran June 22 to July 2 and July 27 to August 7, starting at 9 a.m. daily, and vWISE ran August 10 to 21. The non-refundable fee is $2,200 for WISE and $600 for vWISE.

Applicants must have completed a high school level biology course. Students who are in school during any part of the vWISE session should not take part in it. Students must attend all seminars and lab sessions. Applications are accepted first come, first served; the 2027 application is expected to be posted around late January or February 1, 2027.