Before You Register:
Please note that each R-STEM Summer Student Program has its own “What to Know Before You Register Online” section. Requirements, important details, and program-specific instructions are provided directly on each program’s page. We strongly encourage families to review these details carefully before beginning the registration or application process.
Elementary School
STEM-Letics Academy
A joint effort with Rice Athletics, STEM-Letics Academy is a week-long academy offered multiple weeks during the summer for current 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students (2025-2026 current school year). This academy is designed to keep students both mentally and physically active during the summer by incorporating STEM and physical activities.
The C.H.E.F Lab (Creating Hands-on Experiments in Food Science)
In this one-week summer camp, current 4th and 5th graders will stir, sizzle, and experiment to uncover the science behind food, cooking, and the kitchen.
Elementary & Middle School
STEAMotion
STEAMotion is a dynamic one-week summer academy for grades K-8 (2025-2026 current school year) crafted by the Rice Office of STEM Engagement in collaboration with various education agencies containing STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) activities.
Elementary/Middle/High School
STEAM Academies
The Rice STEAM Academies is an immersive, hands-on summer experience for students in grades 3–9. The program is offered in two engaging sections: STEAM-Up and Spark Academy, giving students the opportunity to explore creativity, innovation, and real-world problem-solving through dynamic, challenge-based learning in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics.
Middle School
Rice Computer Engineering Design Academy
Rice Computer Engineering Design Academy is a week-long program for current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders (2025-2026 current school year) to learn about Micro:bits, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) programming, and rapid prototyping.
Forensics Investigators Program
This one-week student program for students in Grades 6-7 (2025-2026 current school year) aims to introduce the science behind crime scenes, covering topics such as evidence collection and classification, blood evidence, toxicology, DNA, and more.
Middle & High School
Rice Bio Academies
The Rice Bio Academies is an immersive, hands-on summer experience for high school students currently in 7th through 11th grade. The program is offered in three focused sections: BioTech, BioMed, and BioEng, giving students the opportunity to explore key areas of science through real-world applications and cutting-edge lab techniques.
High School
Rice Architecture Summer Immersion
Rice Architecture Summer Immersion allows current 10th and 11th-grade students interested in attending architecture school to gain hands-on experience in architecture and design principles.
Building Young Tech Engineers (BYTE)
The Building Young Tech Engineers (BYTE!) Academy is designed to introduce current (2025–2026) high school (9th-12th) students to the exciting world of coding, microcontrollers, and hands-on engineering with Arduino technology.
Digital Health Workforce Initiative (DHWI)
This program is a PAID summer opportunity current (2025-2026 school year) 9th and 10th grade students to explore emerging biomedical hardware technologies and artificial intelligence in healthcare through hands-on learning at Rice University.
Workshops
R-STEM Academy
R-STEM Academy is a series of one-day workshops held annually in the spring at Rice University for current 2nd-12th grade students to participate in STEM lessons designed by experienced teachers inspired by the ongoing research at Rice University.
Rice Wireless Innovators Lab
The Rice Wireless Innovators Lab offers a one-day, hands-on STEM workshop for high school students focused on wireless communication, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning.
Young Scholars Invent Workshop
Young Scholars Invent is a 1.5-day program where students tackle real-world challenges with cross-school teammates, engage in active design, build and test their solutions, and present to a panel of judges. The focus is on collaborative problem-solving, mirroring industry environments.
Sunset Programs
Past programs that are not currently active.
Energy and Environmental Engineering Academy
Energy and Environmental Engineering Academy was a week-long program for 8th–10th grade students designed to explore the future of energy and sustainability. Through hands-on experiments, workshops, and projects, students investigated fossil fuels, renewables, and emerging technologies.
Houston Environmental Action Learning
The Houston Environmental Action Learning (HEAL) program was a free two-week summer experience designed to engage 9th and 10th grade students in environmental participatory action research and increase awareness of environmental challenges and issues.
Introduction to Research and Innovative Design in Engineering (iRIDE)
iRIDE was a hands-on program designed to introduce middle school students in specific Houston-area communities to the challenging and diverse field of engineering.
Data Divas
Data Divas empowered female students in grades 11–12 with a week-long immersion into the world of data science, blending comprehensive learning with hands-on activities. Guided by successful female professionals, participants developed essential skills, culminating in a collaborative team presentation to showcase their newfound expertise.
Office of STEM Engagement
Contact Information
Telephone: (713) 348-8211
Fax: (713) 348-3825
Hours: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
stem@rice.edu
Mailing Address
Office of STEM Engagement
Rice University
P.O. Box 1892, MS-7836
Houston, TX 77251-1892