The Weill Cornell Graduate School (WCGS) promotes public awareness and understanding of science through science outreach initiatives. By contributing to science education and mentorship in the broader community, the WCGS students, faculty and staff help to spread enthusiasm for the STEM fields among youth in the New York City area.
High School Catalyst Program
The High School Catalyst Program (previously The Weill Cornell Medicine High School Immersion Program) is a partnership between the Weill Cornell Graduate School and the Memorial Sloan Kettering Postdoctoral Association. The High School Catalyst Program is designed to offer hands-on biomedical research experience to New York high school students from self-reported underrepresented minority, disadvantaged, and/or first-generation immigrant backgrounds.
The Catalyst Program also runs in collaboration with the non-profit HYPOTHEkids organization which runs the New York Bioforce program. Students interested in participating in the Catalyst program are encouraged to apply directly to NY Bioforce whose application opens in mid-January. After the conclusion of Phase I of the Bioforce program, students will begin their Phase II mentored internships in the Catalyst Program at a WCM or MSK laboratory, when matched based on research interests. Bioforce students receive a generous stipend for their participation and effort in the program. The Bioforce application can be found on the page using the link above. The Catalyst Program also provides transportation and meal funding for students while they are conducting research.
Updates for 2025 Programming:
The Catalyst Program is running fully in-person. The goals and overarching expectations for the Catalyst Program are to provide high school students with a rigorous 6-week biomedical research experience. All students interested in participating must first apply and be accepted to the NY Bioforce program whose application opens in mid-January. High school students will work closely with a graduate student or postdoctoral mentor to advance a scientific project in a WCM or MSK laboratory as well as attend a selection of journal clubs, panels, and workshops designed to introduce high school students to medical research and life as a scientist. Mentees and mentors will be paired based on their scientific interests, and the specifics of the project will be designed by the mentor and shaped by their expertise. At the conclusion of the program, students will present their research in the form of a poster at a Catalyst closing ceremony as well as to the public at a Student Research Symposium. The 2025 Catalyst Program requirements can be found below:
Program Requirements
2025 Catalyst Program Requirements:
- Start date: July 7th, 2025
- End date: August 15th, 2025 (6 weeks)
- FULLY IN-PERSON PROGRAM
- High school student mentees will be paired with a graduate student, staff scientist, 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 journal clubs, panels, and workshops 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.
In general, high school students are expected to learn about their mentor’s research area (typically will also include attending their mentor’s lab meetings), assist with experiments at the bench, and present their findings and summer research topic at the conclusion of the program. Accordingly, mentors are expected to provide mentees with the necessary reading materials for introducing them to the research topic, design a scientific project for mentees at the appropriate level, and guide mentees through both the hands-on portion as well as the intellectual journey of the summer research experience. Importantly, mentors are expected to dedicate a significant portion of their time and effort to supporting their Catalyst mentees during the 6-week program. Mentor/mentee pairs should follow the basic program requirements below, but have the flexibility to exceed them.
Application Links
High School Student Application Links:
If you have any questions about the program, please email hscatalystprogram@gmail.com and one of our program leadership will get back to you.
For graduate students, staff scientists, or postdocs interested in serving as Catalyst mentors:
Please email program Co-Presidents, Noah Yardeny (noy4002@med.cornell.edu) and Charlie Warren (cdw4001@med.cornell.edu) directly with your name, position, laboratory, and broad research topic. Graduate students who are interested in serving as mentors must be post-ACE. First-year graduate students may be eligible to serve as a co-mentor with a post-ACE student or postdoc.
Tri-I Outreach Committee (TORC)
Tri-I Outreach Committee (TOrC) focuses on STEM outreach initiatives for K-12 through undergraduate students, primarily for underrepresented minorities and students from low-income families.
TOrC is led by Jaina Wollowitz (TPCB), Leandro Pimental Marcelino (TPCB), Brittney Bobowski (WCM Pharmacology), Divya Koyyalagunta (CBM), Mia Haraguchi (TPCB), and Yanira Guerra (WCM BCMB). TOrC aims to make science more accessible by spreading awareness about careers in science, inspiring others to follow their passion in STEM, and providing them with resources to help them excel. In parallel, we strive to bridge Weill Cornell Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and The Rockefeller University by connecting members of the Tri-I with a common passion for outreach and mentorship.
Tri-I Mentorship Initiative (TIMI)
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.
Tri-Institutional Outreach Fair
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.
For more information about TOrC, TIMI, or for general questions about getting involved in outreach, please contact: tri.i.outreach.committee@gmail.com. Sign up for our mailing list here!
Tri-Institutional Minority Society
TIMS brings together students, administrators, researchers and faculty members from the Rockefeller University, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City to make scientific opportunities available to all underrepresented groups and bring together all members of our scientific tri-institutional community. Our activities include organizing educational outreach, professional development, and networking programs. We also provide social opportunities to foster community across all three campuses.
Upcoming Events
- Professional Development:
- Mentorship Meals (casual lunch with minority faculty/clinicians within NYC area)
- WCM Diversity Week Panels
- Topics such as Early Careers in Non-Traditional Scientific Paths, Health disparities in research, etc.
- Outreach:
- TIMS-Outreach Club Big Red STEM Day
- TIMS-Clinical & Translational Science Center (CTSC) Ethics in Medicine movie screening + discussion
- Social:
- Office of Diversity New Student Welcome Party
- TIMS-Rockefeller Inclusive Science Initiative (RISI) holiday parties
- TIMS-NYU Central Park picnic outing
- Local happy hours
Don't forget to follow us on social media!
If you’re interested in joining our organization or want more info, email us at timsnyc10021@gmail.com or visit our website here.