For over 50 years, Indiana University School of Medicine and its partners have organized the SEED/STEM summer program to give high school students from all backgrounds the opportunity to explore a research career in medicine, dentistry, computer science, information technology, life sciences, chemistry, biomedical engineering, and more.

Accepted students are matched with a research team who host and mentor them in their labs over the summer. Students work in research environments at IU School of Medicine, IU Indianapolis, the Indiana Bioscience Research Institute, and Eli Lilly.

The program prioritizes supporting high school students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households. In these situations, families frequently rely on wages from their student’s summer employment, making volunteer programs inaccessible. Financial support made possible by generous donors is crucial to ensuring that students from all backgrounds and situations can participate in this extraordinary learning experience.

More than 300 high school students apply to the program each year, and a significant portion of them—one in every two—comes from a family living below the federal poverty line. It takes $5,000 to enable a student to participate in this unique experience, which serves as a springboard for future careers.

Your gift—of any amount—can help provide transformative opportunities for the next generation of science professionals. Thank you for your generous support!

Please note, the name and purpose of the fund displayed on this page constitute the authorized description of the fund by the Indiana University Foundation, Inc. Your gift supports the fund as described herein.

Gifts will be administered by the Indiana University Foundation, Inc. which represents Indiana University, including the IU School of Medicine. This is not a gift to Indiana University Health, and the Indiana University Health Foundation will not play a role in administering these accounts.