Each year, the MLSC creates hundreds of paid internships for underrepresented and low-income high school students across Massachusetts through our High School Apprenticeship Challenge. By funding intern wages, the program enables research institutions and small life sciences companies to host paid interns and provide students with work-based learning experiences, mentorship, and exposure to careers in the life sciences. The program also supports several pre-internship training cohorts across the Commonwealth, providing employers with a direct pipeline of work-ready interns.
Now in its tenth year, the program is investing more than $900,000 to support several pre-internship training cohorts and 160 internships for students from 40 high schools, creating opportunities and access that strengthens and expands the talent pipeline for our state’s growing life sciences ecosystem.
Join us in celebrating some of the outstanding cohorts we are proud to support this summer:
Northeastern University Forging Opportunities in Research, Growth & Excellence (FORGE)
FORGE places high school students from Gateway Cities and other underserved communities into Northeastern University research labs for mentored, hands-on scientific research experiences. Additionally, students engage in professional development programming, college readiness workshops, and educational field trips. This year the MLSC invested $77,000 to help pilot this program, supporting 18 internship opportunities.
Broad Institute Summer Scholars Program (BSSP)
Through BSSP, rising high school students are paired with Broad Institute scientists to contribute to cutting-edge research projects in areas including cancer biology, infectious disease, computational biology, and psychiatry. Since 2019, the MLSC has invested more than $215,000 in the program, supporting 53 internship opportunities.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Continuing Umbrella of Research Experiences (CURE)
CURE program is a rigorous summer internship for students interested in pursuing a career in cancer-related scientific research. Each student is paired with a mentor for hands-on experience, gains professional and scientific skills training, and participates in networking opportunities. Since 2018, the MLSC has invested more than $220,000 in the program, supporting 55 internship opportunities.
Ragon Institute Summer Experience (RISE)
RISE provides mentored internships for students from surrounding communities with demonstrated economic needs. The program introduces participants to immunology and biomedical research while encouraging future careers in science and medicine. Several former interns have gone on to become Ragon Institute employees. Since 2021, the MLSC has invested more than $130,000 in the program, supporting 41 internship opportunities.
UMass Dartmouth High School Internship Program
UMass Dartmouth provides New Bedford High School students with hands-on experience in life sciences and engineering. Students rotate through research labs, receiving training in areas such as molecular biology, mammalian cell culture, biomaterials, and drug delivery. Participants are paired with graduate student mentors and contribute to active research projects. Since 2019, the MLSC has invested $456,000 in the program, supporting 116 internship opportunities.
UMass Boston High School Research Apprenticeship in Biomedical Science and Engineering
The new program offers interdisciplinary experience in life sciences by connecting local students with university faculty researchers. Participants work on collaborative team projects, exploring topics such as biology, biomedical imaging, and engineering design. This year the MLSC invested $34,000 to help pilot this program, supporting 17 internship opportunities.
UMass Lowell The Professional Research Opportunities to Prepare for Engineering and Life Sciences (PROPEL) Careers Program
PROPEL program places underrepresented high school students into research-focused internships at UMass Lowell and its Medical Device Development Center (M2D2). Students gain hands-on experience working alongside faculty researchers and biotechnology companies developing innovative life sciences technologies. Since 2018, the MLSC has invested $490,000 in the program, supporting more than 106 internship opportunities.
LEAH Project Internships
The LEAH Knox and LEAH Daly summer cohorts provide students with biomedical, data science, and biological research experiences, offering rigorous skills training and internship placement support in partnership with organization such as MassBioEd, MIT, and Biogen CoLab. Since 2018, the MLSC has provided the LEAH program with more than $1.5 million, supporting 322 training opportunities and 128 internships.
MeDHigh Program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
MeDHigh is a biomedical engineering training program designed to prepare students for internships with local MedTech companies. The program introduces Worcester high school students to biomedical engineering concepts and provides a strong foundation for success in the workplace. Since 2024, the MLSC has invested more than $140,000 in the program, supporting 48 training opportunities.
Learn more about the MLSC’s High School Apprenticeship Challenge.
