Spring Break
Research Skills Intensive

One week of immersive hands-on research skills training in central Princeton

In-Person in Princeton, NJ
Choose your track: morning lab techniques, afternoon computational methods, or both. Each session runs 3 hours daily for a full week. Enroll in one or combine them for a complete research skills intensive.

Daily Schedule

Morning Session

Practical Microscopy and Spectroscopy

9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (3 hours with break)

Hands-on training with professional laboratory equipment. Learn the same techniques used in university research labs and summer programs.

$1,500
Courses Included

Practical Microscopy

Practical Spectroscopy

View details on courses page
Afternoon Session

Applied Statistics and Machine Learning with R and Python

1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (3 hours with break)

Analyze research data, create publication-ready visualizations, find patterns, build predictive models, and process images for automatic analysis.

$1,500
Courses Included

Applied Statistics with R

Applied Machine Learning with Python

View details on courses page

Spring Break 2025

Choose your week. We offer 4 weeks to align with different school district spring breaks. Each session runs Monday through Friday.

Week 1

March 16-20

Week 2

March 23-27

Week 3

March 30 - April 3

Week 4

April 6-10

  • Morning: 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM (Microscopy + Spectroscopy)
  • Lunch break: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (on your own)
  • Afternoon: 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM (Statistics + Machine Learning)
  • Group size: Up to 10 students per group

What You'll Learn

  • Microscope mastery: Setup, alignment, Koehler illumination, contrast methods (brightfield, phase contrast, darkfield)
  • Spectroscopy fundamentals: Absorption, reflection, and fluorescence spectroscopy on professional lab equipment
  • Statistical analysis with R: Publication-ready charts, choosing the right statistical tests for your data
  • Machine learning with Python: Regression, classification, clustering, and image analysis
  • GenAI as a research partner: Using AI tools effectively for understanding concepts, writing code, and solving problems

Who Should Attend

  • Students preparing for summer research programs who want to arrive with practical skills
  • Science fair participants looking to add professional-grade analysis to their projects
  • Anyone interested in hands-on experience with real research equipment and methods
  • Middle school, high school, and homeschool students with curiosity and basic science background

Prerequisites

  • Lab sessions: Basic familiarity with biology or physical science hands-on experimentation. Basic optics concepts (light, wavelength, electromagnetic spectrum).
  • Computational sessions: Basic statistics concepts (mean, median, standard deviation, distributions). Basic coding experience in any language.

Cost

Morning Session

Practical Microscopy and Spectroscopy

$1,500

Mon-Fri, 9 AM - 12 PM

Afternoon Session

Applied Statistics and Machine Learning with R and Python

$1,500

Mon-Fri, 1 PM - 4 PM

All options include materials and shared access to professional laboratory equipment (students rotate and collaborate on equipment use). Lunch not included. GenAI subscription not included (typical cost $20-$100/month depending on plan).

  • Pay in full at enrollment
  • Full refund if program is cancelled
  • 50% refund if you cancel 2+ weeks before your session starts
  • No refund for cancellations less than 2 weeks before start

Enroll or Learn More

Book a call to learn more, or email team@teenscientists.org to enroll.

Limited spots available. Early enrollment recommended.