Clinical Neuroscience Immersion
CNI-X is an amazing and reputable two week intensive summer program that introduces ambitious high school students to topics in neuroscience as well as psychiatry and psychology. Faculty include Stanford University staff and researchers, which can be somewhat of a rarity in summer programs (and is usually a good indication of the quality of the program). Students also have the opportunity to complete a capstone project (which often creates a great jumping off point for further research or study).
“The Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X) at Stanford University is an intensive summer program that generally follows a student’s sophomore, junior, or senior year of high school. Students attend a two-week (10-day) session which provides introductory exposure to fascinating topics in neuroscience, psychiatry and psychology plus an opportunity to complete a collaborative capstone project.
During each session, students from across California, the country, and the world are exposed to the breadth of research found in the Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. Through interactive seminars with Stanford faculty and researchers, students learn about principles of neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry, neuroscience research, psychiatric epidemiology, behavioral and social sciences, and more. CNI-X also covers topics important to young people, including professional and career opportunities in medicine and science, plus self-care strategies in the transition to adulthood.
In addition to participating in interactive lectures, students in each session will spend guided time working in small teams to develop innovative, novel solutions to social issues related to psychiatry, psychology, or neuroscience. These ideas and solutions will then be presented at a final capstone session in front of an audience of classmates, families, and the program’s faculty and staff.
CNI-X is a fast-paced, intense, challenging, creative, and bonding experience for students. Previous students have come from very diverse academic backgrounds, and have a wide range of career aspirations, including law, sociology, medicine, psychology, engineering, business, fine arts, and more.”
How do I get started? Click here.
How do I expand this narrative arc? This program is a great example of an opportunity that has legs. Two weeks in Palo Alto is not enough to dive deep or do truly meaningful work. However, it is a GREAT introduction to this important field. If you love it, make sure to continue to push forward in this field. Enlist a mentor (insider or outside your school) for a longer-term and serious research project. Run your own study. Or apply for one of a handful of really prestigious research lab positions offered to high school students each summer.