NeuroCamp is a free BRI summer outreach program that brings together a group of 15-20 highly motivated high school students in an instructional course introducing them to neuroscience. Students will learn the fundamentals concepts of neuroscience and basic lab techniques in Molecular Neurobiology, Neurophysiology and Neuroanatomy. The overall goal of the program is to provide an exciting and rewarding introduction to research in neuroscience to a broad range of high school students from the Los Angeles area. Ultimately, NeuroCamp aims to stimulate participants’ interest in college and an educational path leading to careers in science.
Application Requirements:
(1) Resume
(2) Letter of Recommendation: Please provide a letter of recommendation from a teacher or mentor. The letter of recommendation will need to include a handwritten signature, teacher contact information, and the letterhead of the affiliated school.
(3) Statement of Interest: Please provide a brief written statement of why you are interested in participating in the summer program.
Neurocamp 2023 is cancelled.
Please see the following links for more summer opportunities:
- UCLA Health Summer Sessions for High School Students
- UCLA Health Volunteer Summer Program
- PreMed Summer Scholar Program
- UCI Brain Camp
For application inquires, please contact the NeuroCamp Coordinator.
| Name | Year | High School Attended |
|---|---|---|
| AminParth Amin | 2019 | Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies |
| AmirianMonica Amirian | 2019 | Herbert Hoover High School |
| AngelesNatalia Angeles | 2019 | Bell Gardens High School |
| EstradaErica Estrada | 2019 | Bell Gardens High School |
| FrancoDelilah Franco | 2019 | Dominguez High School |
| GarciaLizbeth Garcia | 2019 | Bell Gardens High School |
| GarciaMia Garcia | 2019 | Bell Gardens High School |
| GonzalezElyssa Gonzalez | 2019 | New West Charter High School |
| HernandezRuby Hernandez | 2019 | Animo Jackie Robinson CHS |
| HumadiZahra'a Humadi | 2019 | Van Nuys High School |
| IndragantiSirivennela Indraganti | 2019 | Alexander Hamilton High School |
| LeeRyan Lee | 2019 | Alexander Hamilton High-Humanities Magnet |
| Lue ChinKristen Lue Chin | 2019 | New West Charter |
| Lue ChinRyan Lue Chin | 2019 | New West Charter |
| MaddelaGregory Maddela | 2019 | New West Charter High School |
| NairShreya Nair | 2019 | Van Nuys High School Medical Magnet |
| NguyenLisa Nguyen | 2019 | North High School |
| O'ConnorChristine O'Connor | 2019 | North Hollywood High School |
| PartidaYuany Partida | 2019 | Animo Jackie Robinson |
| Schaaf-GrishamClara Schaaf-Grisham | 2019 | Hamilton High School |
| SimonAngelin Simon | 2019 | West High School |
| SolimanBarbara Soliman | 2019 | Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (LACES) |
| VasquezDiego Vasquez | 2019 | Bell Gardens High School |
| YamashitaAllison Yamashita | 2019 | Venice High School |
Lisa Nguyen
Year in program: 2019
Current Institution: El Camino Community College
At the UCLA Neurocamp, I learned a lot about how the brain works, along with the diseases. I also did a lot of hands on labs, to see if the sample I had carried the Huntington Disease. I have learned more about this concept than in AP Biology. I am looking to do more research like this in the future. What inspired me to learn about neuroscience is my curiosity for how the brain works. Everyone’s brain works differently, and I was willing to learn more about that.
Parth Amin
Year in program: 2019
Current Institution: Dartmouth College
I was able to get my hands dirty with wet work, particularly through investigating c-elegan habituations. After observing their responses to air puffs, our lab was able to observe the phenomenon of neural plasticity within the simple nematodes. I was also able to further my understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, neuronal firing, brain anatomy, and the process of PCR with my lab section. I like to thank Dr. Grisham for allowing me to work with him and his wonderful team. I find neural plasticity and brain development very fascinating. I was intrigued to learn more about the neuronal pruning that results with age, and the molecular mechanisms that facilitate neuronal signal strengths. I was pleasantly surprised that my childhood video game character, Sonic Hedgehog, plays a critical role in the development of the human brain.
Monica Amirian
Year in program: 2019
Current Institution: UCLA
During the two-week summer program at UCLA Neurocamp, I was introduced to concepts of neuroscience and basic lab techniques in Molecular Neurobiology and Neurophysiology. In high school, I never got to work in a lab setting and learn about all the tools that can be used which is why I applied to Neurocamp because it is a great program to show high school students who are interested in doing research one day about labs. One of my biggest accomplishments during this program was getting to master how to use a pipette in an experiment with mice ears to figure out which one of the ears was contaminated with a disease. We also got to experiment with crickets who were injected with caffeine to see the differences in their reactivity. However, one of my favorite parts about the program was meeting new people who I still to this day keep in touch with through social media. The mystery about all the diseases in neurology is what inspires me to learn about neuroscience. The brain is a complex organ that contains all our memories, histories, and emotions that has so much to be explored and most of it has not been discovered yet. The field of neuroscience always has a challenge and obstacle ahead of you which keeps your everyday learning interesting.