Biological Research
Three-Week Summer Science Program
This program was named Top Science Program in the US by the New York Times subsidiary About.com
This program received the BioSTEM Award by Johnson & Johnson
Biological Research: Synthetic Biology has won numerous awards and sold out multiple years in a row. Why? Because this cutting-edge program, one of the most lab-intensive at BLI, covers topics you won’t see in high school.
Synthetic Biology, gene therapy, and genetic engineering will allow scientists to eliminate genetic diseases and mutations, saving lives across the globe. Genetic engineers are working to eliminate cancer-causing mutations, lessen the impact of Down Syndrome, and provide the ability to hear to deaf patients for the first time. They can even engineer bacteria to break down plaque in the bloodstream, eliminating blood clots that would otherwise result in fatal strokes. The new frontier of modern medicine has arrived, and this summer at BLI, you can be a part of it.
This is a competitive admissions summer research program designed for teens. Colleges look at how productively you spend your summers. Apply now! Want more time or more information? Join our mailing list.
Session 1: June 22nd – July 10th, 2026
Babson College | Greater Wellesley, MA
Gann Academy/Bentley University | Waltham, MA
Awards – Research Program – Sample Week
Hands-on Activities
Sample activities include:
- Acquiring advanced pipetting skills
- Completing DNA sequencing labs where students perform a micro-array experiment analyzing gene expression in four “oncology patients”
- Collecting with cotton swabs actual traces of human DNA samples from high-traffic locations on campus to complete DNA barcoding
- Completing DNA construction and CRISPR gene editing
Field Trips
Examples of past field trips include:
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research: An innovative cancer research center that is affiliated with MIT. It is one of seven National Cancer Institute-designed laboratory centers in the US.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard: A research organization that is dedicated to learning the origins of disease and developing innovative treatments.
- Ginkgo Bioworks: A synthetic biology company that uses a platform to design and engineer organisms by programming cells with DNA.
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals: A biotech company that focuses on innovating medicinal treatments for serious diseases.
Note: We cannot guarantee any given field trip will run as in past years or at all.
Research Presentations
Students delivered original proposals, including:
- Phosphate and Tensin Homolog: A tumor suppressor gene and it’s possible medical uses
- Alternatives to Surgical Thrombectomy: Can bacteria be genetically engineered to breakdown plaque in the circulatory system?
- An Innovative Approach to Neutralize Oil Spills: Genetically modifying bacteria to eat oil from oil spills to transform into environmentally friendly compounds
The article Designer Genes by BLI Biological Research student Sachi Lagwankar shows how the author was immersed in the field of Biology during BLI’s Biological Research program. She writes that the program helped her learn in a way that no high-school lab could. Read more
The article Forging a Path in Synthetic Biology by Jeremy Wang describes how BLI’s Biological Research program furthered his understanding & further motivated him to study Synthetic Biology and how the research he did helped him. Read more
Past Instructors:
Dr. Aaron Bradford
Dr. Bradford, a graduate of Colby College, earned his PhD in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Integrative Toxicology from Michigan State University. He followed this with postdoctoral research in cell and molecular neurobiology, where he collaborated with teams at institutions such as Brown University and the Broad Institute. Dr. Bradford is currently a professor at Bentley University.
Maria Lazebnik
Dr. Lazebnik is the recipient of the prestigious Dawn Sather Exemplary Teacher Award from the Massachusetts Association of Science Teachers. She earned her PhD in Genetics from Tufts University School of Medicine after receiving her BS in Neuroscience and Biology and her MS in Cell and Molecular Biology from Brandeis University. Dr. Lazebnik currently teaches several courses at Bentley University, including Human Biology, Human Inheritance, and Human Health and Disease. She has extensive research experience, having been a research fellow at the NIH, a research associate at Brandeis and Tufts, and a postdoctoral fellow at Tufts Molecular Oncology Research Institute. She is involved in research focused on undergraduate STEM education and developing innovative course content to work hand-in-hand with the curriculum, in particular with a project at Boston’s Museum of Science. Finally, Dr. Lazebnik is a multi-published educator and research scientist. She has had three articles published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Student Comments
‘In my program, I loved how Dr. L taught us. I enjoyed doing the labs and the projects and getting to learn so much. I love the friends I made here and I will not forget this program.’
‘The teachers were very nice and taught the material well. They also made sure that we were having fun in class.’
‘I thoroughly enjoyed my three weeks here with the teacher and the rest of my classmates as we learned a significant amount about experimenting and research with molecular biology and systematics.’
‘I enjoyed how the program wasn’t just listening to the teacher talk all day, but it was doing experiments, getting involved, and learning at the same time. I enjoyed how the teacher was open and loving/caring. I liked every part of this program.’
Student Comments
‘I loved how hands-on everyday was with learning new lab methods/procedures and using what we learned earlier in the day to be applied in the labs. The prof. and TAs were very nice and helped a lot when we had questions during experiments.’
‘I enjoyed the field trips and how we were able to explore the surrounding area in Boston once we were finished with our activity. Our teacher was also very helpful with any questions that we had and also during class. Dr. Lazebnik and our TAs were supportive of us and resourceful, helping us if we needed it.’
‘Dr. Lazebnik is an absolutely amazing professor! She is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to biology and is always available to lend a helping hand!’
BLI On Korean TV!
Watch Boston Leadership Institute’s very own “Biological Research” summer science program on Shin Productions Korean Television program!
The production crew came to one of our Greater Boston campuses to speak with the teacher and his class about how he teaches his students and why they are so successful in college and in the field.
Note: This page represents our best expectations for the program. Activities and instructors are subject to change. In such cases, similar activities and a comparably qualified instructor will be sought.
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