This post discusses various Wolfram academic programs. You can read about the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program and the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp to learn more about these programs specifically.

What’s on Offer at Wolfram?

The precollege education team at Wolfram runs a wide range of programs and experiences for students from middle school and up. Many of our students start out with asynchronous online programs to get a feel for computational thinking and coding before moving on to our synchronous online programs or in-person programs.

Asynchronous Programs

The asynchronous programs at Wolfram allow students to learn at their own pace, without the pressure of a peer group or live instructor. Our team has developed two main programs for this purpose, Computational Adventures and Creative Computation.

Computational Adventures »

One of the best starting points for younger or less experienced coders is Computational Adventures, a set of self-guided mini-projects designed to teach Wolfram Language and computational thinking to students of any age. Each adventure includes instructional material and a mini-project, with hints and solutions provided. Adventures range from computational art to cryptography and code-breaking and students have the opportunity to develop skills in a wide variety of areas.

Computational Adventures doesn’t require a teacher and can be used by a single student at home, clubs, groups, classes, homeschoolers or after-school activities.

Learn more about Computational Adventures:

Creative Computation »

The Wolfram U course Creative Computation explores computational art, poetry, audio and video game development. While all Wolfram U courses are great for learning various aspects of Wolfram Language, coding and applications, Creative Computation is designed specifically for beginners to get a project-based head start with computational thinking and Wolfram Language coding. Creative Computation doesn’t require any background in math or computer science and students will learn to code in a fun, hands-on way, creating a portfolio of projects to show off. Students can also earn a certificate of completion.

Anyone who has explored Wolfram Language can take the Proficiency in Wolfram Language exam to get a certificate, and students who’ve done significant computational research in Wolfram Language, including at the summer programs, can submit their work for the Applied Expertise in Computational Research certification program.

Synchronous Programs

Beyond online courses, our team offers several synchronous programs for various groups of students, including the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp, Wolfram High School Summer Research Program and Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program.

Summer Programs

For young students, we offer the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp, which is a week-long, fully remote program for girls and gender non-conforming students aged 11–14. Students explore coding in a fun and accessible way through mini-projects, hands-on exercises and activities.

Talented students aged 14–17 might be ready to join the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program, which is a 2.5-week, in-person program for motivated and bright high-school students passionate about STEM. Students publish a research-based paper on Wolfram Community showcasing their project work.

Learn more about student project work:

You can read about the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program and the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp to learn more about these programs specifically. Adult students may enjoy the Wolfram Summer School.

After the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program

The Wolfram education ecosystem doesn’t end after summer! Our team often jokes that we can entertain a student for at least 10 years, and it’s not a total exaggeration. After a student’s first summer at the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program, there are a lot of options to continue their educational journey with Wolfram well into adulthood.

Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program (WELP) »

Around half of Wolfram High School Summer Research Program students are selected to join the Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program (WELP) in the school year after their summer experience. Between September and January, students work remotely in small groups to formulate, execute and write up a longer and more in-depth research paper. While students receive plenty of support from mentors, they are encouraged to be more independent than they were over the summer. They learn how to structure their time, be accountable to their teammates and work independently—all great skills to learn in preparation for college.

At WELP, students are organized into groups based on their interests and goals. Do they want to do serious research? Build a product? Design educational materials for younger students? Develop specialized functions for the Wolfram Function Repository? All of the above? Each group develops a project proposal for consideration by the director team, going through a similar process to proposing a thesis project. Once their project has been approved, students utilize software development principles to structure their project and their time, setting realistic goals and working together to create something amazing.

At the end of the program, students publish their computational essays as evidence of their hard work. Many groups submit new functions to the Wolfram Function Repository and have their code incorporated into the language for others to use.

Students often participate in WELP more than once, picking a different topic and working with a different group each time. Once students finish high school, they’re invited to join the Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program for Undergraduates, where they complete an extended independent research project with the guidance of an expert mentor.

WELP projects have included modeling the dynamics of the earth-moon-sun system through the three-body problem, post-quantum hashing using chaotic double pendulum dynamics, mathematical explorations of functional iteration and roots, generating plant structures with 3D Lindenmayer systems, fake news detection and the modeling of electrophysiology in cardiac cells.

WELP is an unparalleled opportunity to develop computational research skills, connect with peers and engage deeply with the subject matter, all while under the tutelage of an expert in the field.

Becoming a Teaching Assistant

Around half of WELP students are invited to join our Teaching Assistant Training Program. This training is made up of seminar classes focused on pedagogy, social activity design, strategies for academic support and professional development. Students design new social activities, practice the skills they’d need to help younger students with coding problems, develop a presentation about a previous project and work on professional skills like public speaking, time management and resume writing.

Students in this program have the opportunity to apply to be teaching assistants (TAs) at the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program, where they complete their capstone for the program—actually leading activities, helping younger students and delivering talks.

Being a TA at the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program is an unforgettable experience and many TAs come back for multiple summers.

Becoming a Mentor

Particularly successful students often return once they’re a little older to join the mentor team at the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program. They bring the experience of being part of the program at almost every level and they’re able to connect with students in meaningful ways beyond helping them with their projects. Being a mentor at the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program allows students to demonstrate their programming and research skills, further develop their leadership and project management skills and get a real step up in their future career pathways.

Other students are invited to join the mentor team at the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp, where they teach Wolfram Language and computational thinking, working with young students to explore coding for the first time.

Stephen Wolfram’s Coding Adventures

Aside from WELP and returning in different capacities to the summer programs, some students are invited to Stephen Wolfram’s Coding Adventures group. This group gets to explore some of the cutting-edge research Wolfram gets done on his weekends, discuss fascinating issues and participate in the actual process of scientific exploration and entrepreneurship.

Wolfram Student Ambassador Initiative »

For students who are excited about writing more computational essays, mentoring at international hackathons and acting as ambassadors for Wolfram technologies at their schools, the Wolfram Student Ambassador Initiative is a great place to be! Students join a bustling community of global ambassadors, exchange ideas and challenges, publish their work and get primary access to internships at the company.

Wolfram Summer School »

Adults, whether they are high-school program alumni or not, may enjoy the Wolfram Summer School, a similar program to the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program designed for undergraduates and up. Students at the Wolfram Summer School address a research question in foundational science, science and technology, ruliology, education innovation or philosophy and strategy. Guided by an expert mentor, students create computational essays to publish on Wolfram Community.

Why Join the Wolfram Education Ecosystem?

Students can join us at any entry point to the Wolfram education ecosystem and we encourage anyone with a bright young person in their lives to recommend our programs. Students get access to outstanding educational opportunities, a large community of alumni and a structured environment in which to experiment, deepen their knowledge and understanding, find new topics to get excited about and make new friends just like them.

Applications for the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program, the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp and the Wolfram Summer School open in November each year. The Wolfram Student Ambassador Initiative, Computational Adventures and Wolfram U are available year-round. We hope to see you, your children or your students there!

Learn more about the application process:

Find more information:

• Wolfram High School Summer Research Program »
• Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp »
• Wolfram Emerging Leaders Programs »
• Wolfram Summer School »
• Wolfram U: Creative Computation »
• Wolfram Student Ambassador Initiative »
• Computational Adventures »