Biology Research Institute
Explore the dynamic world of biology through cutting-edge research.
The Wake Forest Summer Immersion Biology Research Institute offers high school students a rare opportunity to explore diverse biological research fields. Using hands-on laboratory and field work experiments, this program will immerse students in the many components of biology research. Participants will interact with experts and leaders in different areas of biological research each day to learn cutting-edge techniques and to engage with ongoing scientific research projects. Participants will explore how biological studies connect on micro and macro levels, examining global change from the smallest organisms to vast ecosystems. Students will formulate questions, learn various benchtop and field techniques, collect their own data, and present their findings to their peers. This program offers a comprehensive look at biology, sustainability, global change, and more.
At a Glance
2025 Dates: Week of July 13 – 18 or Week of July 20 – 25
Program Length: Sunday – Friday, overnight
Tuition: $3,400
*Tuition is subject to change per year
Location: Winston-Salem, NC – Wake Forest University Reynolda Campus
Who Can Apply?: Current 9th – 12th grade students
*Courses carry no secondary school or college credit. Upon completion of the program, an official Wake Forest University Certificate of Completion will be awarded to all Biology Research Institute participants.
What You’ll Experience
Topics Covered:
- Plant hormonal development
- Oceanic molecular biology
- Disease biochemistry
- Grassland ecology
- Global Change biology
- Sustainability research
Hands-On Experiences:
- Participate in lab-based experiments focused on molecular plant growth
- Explore the interaction between viruses and the ocean through benchtop protocols
- Study the biochemistry of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria
- Conduct ecological fieldwork, analyzing the biodiversity of grasslands
- Work with PhD-level researchers on concrete studies examining global change
- Engage in sustainability projects, exploring the interconnectivity of biology and environmental impact
*Hands-on experiences are subject to change.
A Day in the Life
Typical Daily Schedule
- 8:00 am – Breakfast
- 9:00 am – Program Introduction
- 9:30 am – Topic: Grassland Ecology
- 10:30 am – Lab: Quantifying Plant Diversity
- 12:00 pm – Lunch
- 12:45 pm – Travel to Fieldwork Site
- 1:15 pm – Fieldwork: Sampling Reynolda Meadow
- 3:30 pm – Guest Speaker: Sustainability in Biology Research
- 4:10 pm – Team Research Presentation: Sampling Results
- 4:30 pm – Debrief and Reflections
- 5:30 pm – Dinner
- 6:30 pm – Evening Activities
- 7:30 pm – Free Time
- 9:00 pm – Prepare for Bed
- 10:30 pm – Lights Out
*The “A Day in the Life” sample schedule is subject to change.
Meet the Academic Leader and Teaching Assistant
Dr. Anna Parker
Academic Leader, Biology Research Institute
Dr. Parker is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the Biology Department at Wake Forest University, where she teaches Field Biology and Evolution. Dr. Parker received her PhD in Biology from UNC-Chapel Hill in 2023, her MS in Zoology from the University of Wyoming in 2019, and her BS in Biology and BA in Chemistry from the University of Rochester in 2016. Dr. Parker researches the effects of global change on plant-insect interactions, and her teaching centers evidenced-based practices that improve equity, inclusion, and access.
Kate Thompson
Graduate Instructor, Biology Research Institute
Kate is a PhD candidate in the Biology Department at Wake Forest University. As a biological oceanographer, she is interested in how the biology of the oceans interacts with the surrounding environment. Her research focuses on how tiny viruses infect Cyanobacteria, a type of photosynthetic bacteria, and the resulting implications for carbon flow in the ocean. Viruses have the ability to alter the amount of carbon within a cell, thereby influencing the overall carbon levels in the ocean.
Cam Sherlock
Graduate Instructor, Biology Research Institute
Cam is a PhD student in the Biology Department at Wake Forest University. He is a microbiologist that studies how disease causing parasites interact with their hosts. In particular Cam’s research focuses on Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria and infect millions of people each year. Malaria parasites live inside human red blood cells and he studies how the nutrients the human host has affects the severity of disease.
Megan Gerber
Graduate Instructor, Biology Research Institute
Megan is a PhD candidate studying plant hormones and root development in the Muday Lab at Wake Downtown. She is most interested in root hairs, single cells that grow off the root surface and are essential for plant health. As a molecular biologist, Megan explores how the hormone auxin controls gene networks to regulate root hair development. Megan primarily works with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana but also performs experiments with tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum).
Annerine Myburgh
Graduate Instructor, Biology Research Institute
Annerine Myburgh is a savanna ecologist and passionate botanist studying the drivers of biodiversity and population genetic diversity in African savanna and grassland ecosystems. Annerine completed a BSc (honors) in Ecology and MSc in Plant Science at the University of Pretoria and is currently a PhD candidate at Wake Forest University.
