About

The WFIRM 4-Week High School Summer Research Exposure Program places a small cohort of North Carolina high school students directly inside active research laboratories at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine — one of the world's foremost centers for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research, home to more than 450 scientists and staff. The program is free, commuter-based, and restricted to North Carolina residents ages 16–18. With only 8–10 positions available annually, it is among the most selective free research programs in the state on a per-spot basis. Each student is paired with a WFIRM faculty researcher and their team for the full four weeks, working an average of 20–30 hours per week on mentor-directed research projects at the mentors' discretion — a structure closer to a genuine research internship than a supervised enrichment program.

The first two days are dedicated to laboratory orientation and safety training, after which students work alongside WFIRM graduate students and faculty in active research settings spanning cell and molecular biology, tissue engineering, biomaterials, and related disciplines. Students also attend the annual Regenerative Medicine Essentials Course and weekly research meetings, giving them exposure to the full scientific community at WFIRM rather than a single isolated lab experience. The application requires two teacher recommendations and parental consent, and selected students must provide immunization records and documentation of a TB skin test before the program begins — standard requirements for access to a clinical research environment.

WFIRM's institutional standing makes this program exceptional for its tier. The institute is led by Anthony Atala, whose team produced the first lab-grown organ successfully implanted in a human patient, and whose research on bioprinting, organoids, and organ-on-chip systems regularly advances the field's frontier. For North Carolina high school students with serious interest in biomedical research, tissue engineering, or medicine, direct placement in this environment — at no cost — represents an opportunity with very few meaningful peers in the state. For eligible students with relevant academic interests, this is one of the best choices available.