Brain Seminar for Teens and Opportunities for Research Mentorship (BrainSTORM)

Program Overview

BrainSTORM Components

The BrainSTORM Program introduces high school students to the study of the brain through both clinical and research perspectives, including fields such as neurology, neuropsychology, and neuroscience. It is composed of two parts: a monthly seminar open to all students, and an application-based research mentorship program.

Applications for the June 2026 - May 2027 cohort will open on October 1, 2025.

1. Monthly Seminar

Each month from September through May, our program hosts an online monthly seminar on a topic related to the brain (for example, Alzheimer’s Disease, Epilepsy, sports-related concussion, and designing a cognitive experiment). Lectures are given by experts across a range of disciplines (e.g., neuropsychology, neurology, neuropathology, neuroimaging), and students are encouraged to participate in active discussion throughout the session. The seminar series is open to all high school students with an interest in studying and learning more about the brain.

If you are interested in joining the email list for the lecture series, please sign up here.

Any questions can be directed to the program coordinator, Sandra Rizer, MA, at brainstorm@cumc.columbia.edu.

  • Lecture Schedule - Coming Soon for 2025-2026
  • Lecture: 

2. Mentorship Program

Each academic year, our program will match up to 25 students with a mentor to conduct a guided research project determined by the student and their mentor. Mentorships can be in-person, virtual, or hybrid. Whether it be for a school-based science research or internship program, or just the desire to gain experience, we encourage students in grades 9-12 to apply for consideration. Projects culminate in a year-end, final research symposium during which students participate in a poster session to present their research.

BrainSTORM is funded by the Groff Foundation. The program is based at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), as part of the Department of Neurology and the Taub Institute for Alzheimer’s Disease and the Aging Brain.

In June 2026, we will welcome the 4th official cohort of high school students to the BrainSTORM Mentorship Program.