Penn Summer Academies
High school students may choose one of these 4-week Academy programs:
- The Penn Summer Science Academies (PSSA) include guided laboratory work, guest lectures, and discussion groups, all taught by Penn scientists, faculty, and outside experts.
- The Penn English Language Academy is designed for non-native English speakers who have attained intermediate to advanced English language speaking and writing skills.
Although the academies are noncredit they are considered exceptionally rigorous, with classes and labs that meet every morning and afternoon. Additional work may be assigned for evenings and weekends, including reading, library and Internet research, and the preparation of written or oral reports.
Learn more about the Penn Summer Academies:
Biomedical Research Academy
July 5 – July 31, 2010
The four-week, non-credit Biomedical Research Academy immerses you in some of the most cutting-edge areas of biomedical research, including cardiovascular disease, oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.
Morning lectures provide a solid foundation in molecular biology and genetics and offer in-depth views into the key research programs and therapeutic approaches of biomedicine today. Most afternoons are spent in Penn’s biology labs where you gain first-hand exposure to the experimental techniques and tools employed by biomedical researchers. You will also work with Penn researchers on a specific topic in biomedical research to explore both the scientific and medical aspects of diseases.
Prerequisites: One year of high school Biology is required for application. One year of high school Chemistry is advised.
Experimental Physics Research Academy
July 5 – July 31, 2010
Taught by members of Penn’s Department of Physics and Astronomy and other regional physics teachers, this program combines in-depth lectures and discussions on mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum dynamics, and astrophysics with hands-on experiments to measure the speed of light and a field trip to an amusement park to study the physics of rides using electronic data-logging devices.
Other activities include an afternoon at Penn’s indoor rock-climbing wall to learn first-hand about how best to use friction to counteract the force of gravity as well as a tour of the Franklin Institute planetarium and observatory.
English Language Academy
July 5 – July 31, 2010
The Penn Summer English Language Academy is designed to provide international high school students opportunities to develop the English language and academic skills necessary to interact successfully in an American academic environment.
Students will be placed in one of two levels:
Intensive English (Intermediate Level)
- Morning module: Students will work on improving their speaking/listening and reading/writing skills while exploring various themes that will engage them in critical thinking. Vocabulary expansion and pronunciation improvement will also be key parts of classroom activities. Opportunities will exist for students to interact with people and institutions in the Philadelphia community as part of their learning process.
- Afternoon module: Students will focus on grammar and the connection between grammar, context of use, and intended meaning. Students will examine real data and use it to test and refine the grammar rules they know, developing a more realistic understanding of how grammar works when people speak or write.
Academic Preparation (Advanced Level)
- Morning module: Students will develop the reading skills needed to understand academic texts by exploring themes relevant to them. They will then improve their ability to write appropriate academic responses using information from these texts. A process writing approach that emphasizes idea exploration, drafting, revising, and editing will be introduced and used.
- Afternoon module: Students will practice and become more familiar with the sections of the TOEFL test, which is used for placement in U.S. colleges. They will primarily focus on building up the academic skills needed to do well on the test.
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