Wolfram High School Summer Research Program Application

Please include the pronunciation of your preferred name *

You can use to this tool to generate the phonetic spelling of your name or refer to this phonetic spelling guide.

What pronouns do you use? *

Date of birth (YYYY/MM/DD) *

How old will you be on July 11, 2026? *

Phone number *

Include the country code (e.g. +1, +44)

Guardian Information

Primary parent/guardian name *

Relationship to student (mother, father, guardian, etc.) *

Phone number *

Include the country code (e.g. +1, +44)

Secondary parent/guardian name *

Relationship to student (mother, father, guardian, etc.) *

Phone number *

Include the country code (e.g. +1, +44)

Academic Background

Year/grade in school as of March 1, 2026 *

Name of the school you currently attend *

Address of the school you currently attend *

Website of the school you currently attend *

If you are homeschooled, dual enrolled or have an alternate education pathway, please provide details.

Describe your academic interests. What topics and subjects interest you most? *

Describe your extracurricular activities, hobbies and nonacademic interests. *

Please list any advanced classes you have taken or are currently taking. *

Program Questions

Why are you interested in attending the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program? *

Estimate your level of skill with Wolfram Language: *
None
Novice (i.e. I understand what Wolfram Language is, I've opened a notebook and/or I've used Wolfram|Alpha for homework)
Beginner (i.e. I've run code using Wolfram Language, used Wolfram Programming Lab/Explorations and/or used Wolfram Language in school)
Intermediate (i.e. I've written small programs using Wolfram Language and/or worked on a group project using Wolfram Language)
Advanced (i.e. I've written a large program and/or completed an independent project using Wolfram Language)

Not including Wolfram Language, what other programming languages do you know (if any), and how long have you been using them? *

Before the start of the Wolfram Summer Research Program, we offer a pre-program workshop. This is a two-day program to shore up your computer science skills and get assistance with basic Wolfram Language skills before studying advanced Wolfram Language at the program.

The workshop is open to students with limited computer science experience. If you have taken a computer science class in school or know another programming language, you are not eligible for the workshop.

Would you like to attend the pre-program workshop? *

No, I have computer science experience or do not wish to attend the workshop. Yes, I have limited computer science experience and would like to attend the workshop.

If yes, what do you think the workshop would add to your experience of the Wolfram Summer Research Program?

The Wolfram High School Summer Research Program is project based. You will be assigned a project based on your interests, skills and abilities. Please go to the project gallery for examples of topics we've covered in previous years.

Please propose 3 unique projects you think would be a good fit for you, and write 3 to 5 sentences about how you would approach each one. While it is unlikely that you will be assigned one of these projects, this gives us a clearer idea of what type of project you would be interested in. Your proposals should be your own, not taken from the previous project list. *

Alongside your academics, you will choose a creative minor to participate in during the program. This is a chance to learn a new skill and get to know your peers in a creative environment.

Minor tracks in previous years have included writing, music, art and theater. Each year, we adjust the minors we offer to best accommodate everyone's interests. We will offer up to 5 of the most requested minor tracks, and you will have the opportunity to select your minor at the start of the program.

Please select 2 to 4 minors you would be interested in joining: *

Previous Program Experience

Have you attended any previous math, science or computer science programs? *

If you selected "Other," please list any other camps, programs or competitions related to STEM you have participated in, separated by commas.

Enter in the format "program name 1—website 1, program name 2—website 2" with no further details.

If you have attended the Wolfram Middle School Summer Camp, please select which years you attended: *
Haven't attended
2022
2023
2024
2025

If you have attended the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program before, please select which years you attended: *
Haven't attended
2022
2023
2024
2025

If you have attended the Wolfram Emerging Leaders Program, please select which years you attended: *
Haven't attended
2022
2023
2024
2025

If you have previously attended a Wolfram program, please share the titles and links to any previous projects on Wolfram Community.

Please include the title of the post and the link.

Coding Problem

For this part of the application, you will need to access a free trial of Wolfram|One here. Open a new notebook to write your code.

All code must be written in Wolfram Language. You should look at the Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language book and the documentation for assistance.

Your answers to these questions help us understand how you think about solving challenges and whether you are able to communicate your thought process with clarity and precision. Use as much space as you need to provide your answers. Because we are not interested in the quality of your code, only in your thought process, please do not copy answers from the internet or use AI tools to write your code. We want to get to know you, not a chatbot!

You can find a notebook with the problem here and download or make your own copy using the buttons in the top-right corner.

One-Finger Distance

(Required for all applicants)

Given a linear keyboard of lowercase letters of the alphabet, how many letters in total does your finger have to jump over in order to type a given word?

Consider a linear keyboard of lowercase letters of the alphabet laid out in a row like below. The word "boost" has a one-finger distance of 18 because there are 13, 0, 4, 1 letters between b and o, o and o, o and s, s and t, respectively.

The word "wolfram" has a one-finger distance of 58. The string "abcdef" has a one-finger distance of 5.

Write code that finds the one-finger distance of a string.

How did you go about solving this problem? *

What challenges did you encounter when solving this problem? *

Reference

We ask for you to provide a reference below if we are unable to get a clear picture of your abilities through our standard application process. We will get your permission before we contact them.

Your reference should be a teacher, guidance counselor or tutor who knows you and your STEM-related skill sets.

Reference's organization affiliation (school, etc.) *

Reference's relationship to you (teacher, etc.) *

Other Information

How did you (or your parent/guardian) hear about the Wolfram High School Summer Research Program? *

If you selected "Other," please explain.

If you selected "Previous attendee," "Friend/classmate," "Teacher" or "School," please provide their name and email so we can thank them for the referral.

By submitting this application: *

I agree to the retention of my personal data by the Wolfram Companies as explained in the Privacy Policy. If accepted to the program, I will arrive to Bentley's campus on June 24 before 17:00 ET and depart on July 11 by 12:00 ET. If accepted to the program, I acknowledge that I will not be able to take part in concurrent programs, camps or classes from 08:00 ET to 17:00 ET June 24 to July 11. I have answered all questions truthfully and to my best ability.