The six-month MIT Online Science, Technology, and Engineering Community (MOSTEC) program serves rising high school seniors from across the country – many of whom come from underrepresented or underserved communities. Students selected to participate in MOSTEC demonstrate in their applications a strong academic record and interest in science and engineering.
The MOSTEC program begins the summer before students' senior year in high school and extends through students' first semester in 12th grade. MOSTEC has both in-person and online components and consists of 3 phases outlined below:
- Academic Phase (June- Early August): Students complete 2 online courses and projects in science, engineering, and science writing with support from course instructors. Students begin meeting virtually in small groups with undergraduate mentors. This mentoring extends over all three phases of MOSTEC.
- Conference (Early August): Students attend the 5-day MOSTEC Conference on MIT's campus. They present their projects, attend workshops, and paticipate in social and community-building events.
- Enrichment Phase (August -December): During this online phase, students interact with faculty, researchers, and professionals via webinars and Q&A sessions and write online blogs. Students also have the opportunity to ask admissions and financial aid-related questions in the Admissions Corner, which is run by MIT Admissions counselors.
The 2018 MOSTEC program runs from June 27, 2018 to December 19, 2018, and the MOSTEC Conference was held August 6 -10, 2018. Check back soon for 2019 Dates. Upon acceptance in mid-April, students should email summerapp@mit.edu if they have concerns about program dates conflicting with their school calendar.
Apply
Eligible students can apply online at summerapp.mit.edu during the fall semester of their junior year in high school.
It’s free!
All educational, food and boarding costs are generously covered by our funders. Students only pay for transportation to and from MIT.
Academic Phase Courses
Students take one intensive project-based course and a science writing course. Past courses have included:
Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
The goal of the MOSTEC Neuroscience & Connectomics is to provide a basic understanding of the sub-fields within the field of neuroscience. Students analyzed real data via an interactive online interface and contributed to real neuroscience research. Topics covered included neurobiology, systems neuroscience, and connectomics. Neurobiology focuses largely on cellular and molecular neuroscience to understand the brain at its most fundamental level by examining the basic elements of the nervous system. Systems Neuroscience deals with information flow and processing within the central nervous system, and aims to develop an understanding of sensory systems and motor control. Connectomics researchers are currently working to map the connections of the brain, neuron by neuron, synapse by synapse. By the end of the course, students are able to understand and appreciate the big questions that people across the field are trying to answer.
Humans have been fascinated by light for centuries. From early humanoids discovering fire and exploring all of its capabilities for food and technology, to modern day optical techniques used in the LIGO experiments to confirm gravitational waves. Humans have always had a fascination with light and the way it interacts with matter. The Optics & Photonics course served as an introduction to the properties of light and its uses in modern day science and technology. Students learned mathematical techniques that describe the physical nature of how light interacts with different objects and tested this theory by doing at home experiments each week. By the end of the course, students had a stronger understanding of the basics of Optics & Photonics and built some intuition for its use in modern technology.
Conference Workshops
Past workshop offerings have included:
Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering