PRISMS offers you a solid, structured, and challenging curriculum-plus something more: the chance to pursue an original independent project that reflects your unique interests.
Yes, many schools offer some type of research option. PRISMS, however, is different.
We provide more guidance and support - specialized coursework in research skills and applied engineering designed to provide you with the technical abilities you will need, plus extensive individual attention from faculty with deep experience in science, engineering, and technology.
We provide more time - a two-year project window, with research time set aside every other day and the chance to extend your work after school if you want to. This extended timeframe means you can pursue a project in real depth-facing setbacks, trying new approaches, and still having the opportunity to complete your work successfully.
We provide more resources - from an atomic force microscope (AFM) to a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, and from a real-time PCR system to a mass spectrometer. We give you full access to a remarkable range of advanced lab equipment and that gives you the ability to explore a remarkable range of advanced areas of study.
We provide more choice - the chance to find a project that ignites your curiosity, whether it's exploring synthetic biology, molecular evolution, nanotechnology, or machine vision. We have the expertise and flexibility to support you in charting your own path of discovery.
The PRISMS research project stands out as a one-of-a-kind learning experience. This is the chance for you to see what it's really like to design and carry out an original scientific investigation or R&D project to discover or build something never known or made before.
It is also a chance to gain a unique preparation for the challenges of university studies and to add the kind of accomplishment to your university admissions application that few high school students in the world can claim.