News
Kraig Farrell

The RIT-Rochester Prep High School Partnership gives high school seniors college-level research experience with faculty mentors.

Twenty-three Rochester Prep High School students are part of this school year's capstone program that allows them to work weekly with an RIT professor on a specifically designed research project that simulates work in a college course. Subjects include bacteria and biology, criminal justice, data to map large trends, fiber bundles and game design.

Plastic pollutants, the coronavirus, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the strength of nanowires, and why freshly cut grass smells the way it does—these are some of the topics students from Rochester Prep High School explored during a mentorship program with RIT faculty. They shared their projects and new perspectives during the RIT-Rochester Prep Capstone Showcase held Feb. 6 at RIT.

June 27, 2023 will mark the 10-year anniversary of the Rochester Institute of Technology and Rochester Prep High School partnership – aimed at providing post-secondary educational opportunities to students through RIT, and resources that help with college readiness and the goal toward a 100 percent graduation rate.

After a more than two-year hiatus, Camp Tiger will be “back in full swing” for 2023 as the center facilitates activities and events for local youth, while still working with campus mitigation efforts. That also includes other youth-focused opportunities hosted by the K-12 University Center that have been phased back in during the 2022-23 school year.

Kids on Campus, a branch of the K-12 University Center at Rochester Institute of Technology, gives school-aged students in the community nontraditional admissions experiences – providing interactive campus involvement that exposes them to STEM disciplines they might be interested in, along with other opportunities provided by RIT.

For the first time, the K-12 University Center at Rochester Institute of Technology is facilitating the Rochester Prep High School capstone program, which annually allows students from the Rochester-based charter school the chance to work with university faculty members and participate in hands-on research in a variety of STEM disciplines.

RIT’s summer day camp programs offer young learners a foray into astrophysics, cybersecurity, energy and the environment, and college readiness. While RIT’s regular in-person Camp Tiger is on hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, RIT’s K-12 University Center is providing select programs via a secure virtual platform through RIT’s Innovative Learning Institute.

The K-12 University Center at RIT is offering virtual summer camp programming this year centered around the popular roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. A series of weeklong workshops for students in fifth to 12th grades will run July 6 through Aug. 14.

High school juniors in the Rochester City School District are learning about careers in the law through a mock trial tournament sponsored by RIT and attorneys from the Rochester community.