The program requirements for the 2024 cycle are outlined below:

• Tentative start date: July 8th, 2024
• Tentative end date: August 16th, 2024 (6 weeks)
• FULLY IN-PERSON PROGRAM
• High school student mentees will be paired with a graduate student or postdoctoral associate mentor to be guided through developing a research project and conducting in-person research.
• High school student mentees are expected to be in the laboratory for approximately 25 hours a week with their mentor to advance their research skills and obtain hands-on experience planning and performing experiments.
• High School student mentees are expected to attend their mentor's lab meetings as well as program seminars, workshops, journal clubs, and discussions throughout the program.
• High school student mentees will present their research to their peers at the conclusion of the program in the form of a poster.

For prospective students (not interested in or eligible for the Bioforce program): We are looking for highly motivated, enthusiastic, and committed high school students for the Catalyst Program! Students MUST BE 16 YEARS OF AGE by the start of the program (unfortunately we cannot make any exceptions). If you are interested in applying, our application can be found below. Applications for the 2024 Catalyst Program are due 11:59PM MARCH 22nd, 2024.

If you have any questions about the program, please email hscatalystprogram@gmail.com and one of our program leadership will get back to you.

To access the high school student application, visit the links below:

• High School Catalyst Program
• HYPOTHEkids Bioforce Program

In 2020, TOrC student leaders founded the Tri-I Mentorship Initiative (TIMI) to empower those interested in applying to graduate programs through one-on-one mentoring. Current Tri-I graduate students are paired with undergraduates or recent graduates who are applying to biomedical PhD programs. Mentors receive training and dispatch their own experiences with the application process to help mentees select schools to apply to, craft their personal statements, and improve their interviewing skills.

To increase the visibility of STEM outreach opportunities in NYC, TOrC launched the Tri-Institutional Outreach Fair in February 2022. Nearly 70 members of the Tri-I community came together virtually to hear presentations from 12 professional and trainee-run outreach organizations, including BioBus, the New York Academy of Sciences STEM Mentoring Programs, RockEDU, the Tri-Institutional Minority Society Summer Scholars Research Program (SSRP), Weill Cornell Graduate School Advancing Cornell Career Experiences for Science Students (ACCESS), and more. Attendees were also able to connect directly with outreach representatives in breakout sessions. A survey revealed that 90% of participants learned about at least one new outreach group and 50% signed up for a new volunteer opportunity. The Outreach Fair is now an annual event held each spring.