Frequently Asked Questions
What is Wolfram Research?
Wolfram Research, led by Founder and CEO Stephen Wolfram, is one of the world's most respected computer, web and cloud software companies—as well as a powerhouse of scientific and technical innovation. As a pioneer in computation and computational knowledge, we have pursued a long-term vision to develop the science, technology and tools to make computation an ever-more-potent force in today's and tomorrow's world.
Wolfram Language, the only full-scale computational language, offers high-level representation for all computational ideas for people and AIs. With Wolfram, you can connect LLMs and other AI systems to powerful, accurate and current computation and knowledge.
WHEN AND WHERE IS THE WOLFRAM SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM HELD?
The program is comprised of three parts: the pre-program workshop, the Introduction to Wolfram Language classes and the main program. The pre-program workshop will be held virtually June 23–24, 2024. The Introduction to Wolfram Language classes, which are mandatory for any student who has not previously attended this program, will be held virtually June 25–26, 2024.
All students will arrive on campus on June 28, 2024, and the program ends on July 13, 2024.
HOW MUCH DOES THE PROGRAM COST, AND WHAT IS THE CANCELLATION POLICY?
The cost of the program is $4200, including a $500 non-refundable deposit that is due within 14 days of admittance. The cost of the program includes access to Wolfram technologies for a full year and full room and board for the duration of the main program.
The pre-program workshop has no associated tuition fee.
We offer needs-based financial aid on a sliding scale, which can cover up to 100% of tuition and room and board costs. We do not offer financial aid to cover transportation to and from the program.
You can cancel your registration before May 1 for a refund of program fees except the deposit. Cancellations after May 1 cannot be refunded.
We reserve the right to rescind your acceptance and give you a full refund at any time before the start of the program.
WHO LEADS THE WOLFRAM SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM?
There are three groups of staff running the program: directors, mentors and teaching assistants. The director team is comprised of experts in both education and their respective STEM fields. The mentor team includes employees of Wolfram Research and external experts in both Wolfram Language and a variety of subject areas. Our external experts have included university professors, graduate students, industry leaders and exceptional undergraduate students. The teaching assistants are high-performing alumni from previous years of the program who have also completed the Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program.
All staff receive safeguarding training and must pass a background check before interacting with students.
Do students interact with Stephen Wolfram?
Students meet one on one with Stephen Wolfram several times throughout the program, beginning with selecting their projects. He also runs small-group Q&A sessions on topics such as entrepreneurship, invention, research and the future of the world and gives talks on the most recent scientific innovations.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE WOLFRAM HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAM?
We accept students who are bright, extremely passionate and mature. The academic environment is intense, and we want to ensure that all participants have the greatest possible chance of success. Participants do not need to have experience in computer science but should be excited about a STEM subject.
While we do not have firm requirements for academic achievement for applicants, we have found that successful students are those who are engaged in academic pursuits beyond the mandates of their school. This can be taking higher-level classes either in or out of school, attending STEM competitions or programs or doing advanced self-study. We look for students who are quick to learn new things, get excited by challenging problems and are willing to dedicate their effort and attention to their work during the program.
However, we are very aware that many students do not have the opportunity to engage in enrichment and extension activities due to economic, geographic and time constraints. We are also aware that many gifted students have co-occurring learning and social disabilities. Students who have had fewer opportunities or face other challenges are absolutely welcome at the program, and we evaluate every applicant based on their own merit and circumstances.
As a residential program, we look for students who will be able to live and work with others for the summer. Our students are expected to be mature, responsible and hard-working.
We accept international students, who are required to obtain any necessary visas before attending.
We accept students aged 14 to 17. We sometimes accept exceptional 13-year-olds, but we cannot accept any student who will turn 18 during the program. Adult students should consider the Wolfram Summer School, and girls and gender-nonconforming younger students should consider the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE PRE-PROGRAM WORKSHOP?
The workshop is designed for younger or less-experienced students who are capable of excelling at the Wolfram Summer Research Program but haven't done a lot of coding before. The workshop is an interactive crash course in Wolfram Language programming and will prepare students well for the rigor of the program. Students who haven't taken a computer science class should definitely attend.
The pre-program workshop is not suitable for students who are confident coders in other languages. We teach Wolfram Language for everyone in the first few days of the main program, and students will receive a homework package to familiarize themselves with the basics before arrival. Knowledge of Wolfram Language is not a prerequisite for the program.
We may invite or require any student to attend the pre-program workshop if we believe that they would benefit.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THE WOLFRAM MIDDLE SCHOOL SUMMER CAMP INSTEAD?
The Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp is open to girls and gender-nonconforming students aged 11–14.
Thirteen- and 14-year-olds who apply to the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program may be encouraged to attend the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp instead of or in addition to the high-school program. If you are unsure which program to attend, we recommend applying to both, and we will help place you in the correct program.
What Project Will I do?
Students meet with Stephen Wolfram and the program directors in the first few days of the program to be allocated a project based on their skills and interests. Students have the opportunity to submit their own project proposals in the application and to express their needs and desires for a project. We evaluate each student's interests and abilities and help them find a project that will work for them. Most students do not do a project that they proposed in the application, but these proposals help inform our project allocation decisions. For their project, each student will complete a computational essay that will be posted on Wolfram Community.
What is a computational essay?
"A computational essay is in effect an intellectual story told through a collaboration between a human author and a computer. The computer acts like a kind of intellectual exoskeleton, letting you immediately marshall vast computational power and knowledge," (Stephen Wolfram, 2017). You can find out more about computational essays and the power of presenting information in this way in the blog post What Is a Computational Essay?
What is a minor?
All students choose a minor and will spend several evenings over the course of the program exploring this pursuit. Students present their work at the program graduation. In previous years, minors have included creative writing, music, art, movement and theater. Students have created works such as interactive adventure stories, comic books, dance pieces, choir pieces, audio dramas, comedy skits, nature collages and percussion performances. Minors are very casual and fun and do not require students to have any skills or experience.
WHAT WILL The SCHEDULE BE LIKE?
Students will be sent the calendar before arrival. The schedule will include a variety of activities. The virtual components of the program will be based in Eastern Time and will run from 9am to 6pm. Students will attend a series of active-learning classes to learn Wolfram Language and dive deeper into subjects such as natural language processing, machine learning and entities.
The virtual program finishes at 6pm ET on Wednesday, June 26, and students are expected on campus by 6pm on Friday, June 28.
In the first few days of the main program, students will be allocated their projects by meeting with the Program Director and Wolfram Research CEO Stephen Wolfram. Students will also attend taster sessions for the minor tracks to decide which one they would like to do throughout the program.
After the first few days, the daily schedule will include project work, talks given by the mentor and teaching assistant teams, optional lectures given by external speakers, social activities and minor track sessions. Students will also attend a series of Q&A sessions with Stephen Wolfram and panel discussions with Wolfram Research employees and the teaching assistant team to learn more about their journeys with Wolfram programs.
Meals will be served at standard times in the Bentley University cafeteria, and students will have scheduled breaks throughout the day. Students will have some free time on many of the days where they can relax, catch up with their families and enjoy the outdoors. Students will also go on a field trip to the MIT campus and museum and will have the opportunity to go on a trip into Waltham and a hike at the Storer Conservation Lands.
The daily schedule is packed with exciting adventures, both academic and non-academic. Students are required to attend every activity, but many slots will have multiple options. Students are not permitted to leave campus or skip activities without permission from the Program Director.
WHAT WILL RESIDENTIAL LIFE BE LIKE?
You will live on campus at Bentley University. We eat in the university cafeteria, sleep in the dorms and work in the classrooms. You will live in an apartment with four to six other students, sharing a bathroom, living room and small kitchen. You will share a bedroom with one other student. We ask admitted students for their preferences for gender-assigned rooms. In general, bedrooms will be single gender, and shared spaces may be any gender. We aim to assign bedrooms with ages and interests in mind.
The Bentley University cafeteria caters for a variety of dietary needs, and we may be able to accommodate medical requests for single bedrooms when supported by a doctor's note.
Admitted students will be sent a packing list and information about campus. The packing list will include a functioning laptop that meets the system requirements to run Wolfram|One; casual and comfortable clothing; and any instruments, sporting equipment, art supplies or games the students would like to bring.
We have a reasonable and strict code of conduct to ensure that students are safe, happy and engaged throughout the program.
We are not able to accommodate remote or commuting students under any circumstances. The entirety of the main program is in person and on campus.
WHERE CAN I LEARN MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM?
You can hear more about the program experience from alumni in their livestream series, led by alumna Anwesha Das. In part one, Future Directions, alumni discuss their plans for the future and how being a part of Wolfram student programming has shaped their academic trajectories. In An Exploration of Project Work I and An Exploration of Project Work II and on the Wolfram Student Podcast, alumni discuss the projects they worked on during the program and what they learned from the experience. In Girls in STEM, some of our female alumnae discuss the challenging, fast-paced and inclusive environment of the program and talk about their journeys into STEM. In The Virtual Camp Experience, alumni from 2019 (in person) and 2020 (online) discuss the differences and similarities in their experiences of the program.
How Can I Prepare for THE PROGRAM?
Admitted students will receive a homework assignment before the start of the program, which will include studying the Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language interactive textbook. Students can also read computational essays from previous years and take interesting classes from Wolfram U.
Do you provide letters of recommendation?
Yes! Successful students can request a letter of recommendation to another program or college.
Can projects be submitted to science fairs or academic journals?
Yes! Many students have gone on to submit their projects to science fairs, academic journals and conferences. Successful students are invited to present their work at the Wolfram Technology Conference.
What colleges do alumni attend?
Our international student body has gone on to attend top universities and colleges around the world, including Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Columbia, Imperial College London and Oxford University.
What opportunities are available after completing the Summer Research Program?
On completion of the Summer Research Program, successful students are invited to continue their academic journeys with us in a variety of ways. The Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program is an opportunity for students to engage more deeply in a longer-term research project while supported by expert mentors. Highly successful students join our teacher training program as part of the Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program and go on to teach and mentor at the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp or at the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program. The Wolfram Student Ambassador Program supports students who want to create content or run events related to computation. The Wolfram Institute provides opportunities for students interested in researching fundamental physics, metamathematics and ruliology. Talented and dedicated students also have the opportunity to join Wolfram Research as interns.
How can I join the staff team?
If you are interested in being a mentor at the Wolfram Summer Research Program, please contact camp-admin@wolfram.com. We require mentors to have strong experience in Wolfram Language, strong content knowledge in any STEM-related area and experience teaching or mentoring students. Teaching assistants are recruited from program alumni and there is no open application.