If you are curious about how things work and how to build what comes next, STEM education is where that journey begins. As a high school student, participation in a STEM program can sharpen your fundamentals and introduce you to the modern tools and techniques used in real research labs today. These programs go far beyond academics. They give you a controlled environment where you can apply theoretical classroom physics or calculus to real-world datasets and engineering constraints. Along the way, you’ll build a competitive portfolio that strengthens your applications for top-tier universities’ collegiate admissions and opens the doors to specialized research roles.
Why Louisville, Kentucky, is a great place to pursue STEM?
Louisville is a hub of engineering, healthcare innovation, and logistics technology. As home to the University of Louisville and its J.B. Speed School of Engineering, the city reflects a strong partnership between academic research and industrial application. With global logistics leader UPS headquartered here, Louisville offers a unique landscape where advanced manufacturing, supply chain systems, and academic research converge. The region’s economic reliance on advanced manufacturing and biomedical sectors has birthed a robust infrastructure of specialized laboratories and maker spaces. Kentucky’s investment in education through programs such as the Governor’s Scholars and Gatton Academy ensures that students in Louisville have access to localized, high-caliber resources that rival national benchmarks.
While this blog focuses on STEM programs available in and around Louisville, readers seeking opportunities across the broader Kentucky region can check out our statewide guide here. Or, if you’re looking for zero-cost STEM experiences, we’ve got that covered too.
12 STEM Programs for High School Students in Louisville, Kentucky
1. The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science
Location: Bowling Green, KY – just over 100 miles from Louisville
Cost: Free!
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Extremely selective
Dates: Two-year residential program across the academic year
Application Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: Kentucky residents who are high school sophomores at the time of application. You should have completed Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II or their KDE equivalents before enrollment, and score a minimum 22 on the ACT or score a minimum 540 on the SAT.
While not located within Louisville, the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science is close enough to secure the top spot on this list. This two-year residential academy on the campus of Western Kentucky University allows you to complete your junior and senior years while earning 60+ college credit hours. The program is built around deep involvement in STEM disciplines, requiring you to participate in faculty-led research projects that can lead to presentations and even publication in peer-reviewed journals. You will gain hands-on experience with advanced laboratory equipment and software for data modeling, chemical synthesis, or computational physics. This program is a full-time transition into collegiate-level scientific inquiry.
2. Governor’s Scholars Program (GSP) – STEM Focus
Location: One of three different campuses: Centre College, Morehead State University, and Murray State University. Morehead State is just over 100 miles from Louisville
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective, approximately 1,000 students statewide across three campuses
Dates: June 13 – July 17 | June 14 – July 18 | June 21 – July 25
Application Deadline: Varies by school, school districts must send in their nominations by January 9 (for single-school districts) or January 23 (for multi-school districts)
Eligibility: Kentucky high school juniors who have taken the ACT, PSAT, or SAT in the 9th, 10th or 11th grades.
Much like the Gatton Academy, the Governor’s Scholars Program is too strong a contender to exclude from this list, even though the nearest campus is over 100 miles from Louisville. This fully-funded 5-week residential program allows you to concentrate on focus areas such as Biological Analysis, Physical Science, or Engineering, with an emphasis on developing new ideas, and pursuing independent study. You will take part in classes focusing on inquiry and service-learning, as well as leadership seminars designed to help you strengthen your interpersonal relationships, build community leadership skills, and educate you on career choices. More importantly, participation in the governor’s scholars program makes you eligible for significant scholarship opportunities at most public and private universities across Kentucky!
3. Governor’s School for Entrepreneurs (GSE) Summer Startup Program
Location: Gatton College, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY – approximately 75 miles from Louisville
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 20 – July 12
Application Deadline: January 18
Eligibility: Kentucky high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors
While this program’s focus is on entrepreneurship, it provides a technical incubator environment that guides you on how to move from an initial STEM concept to a viable prototype. The program teaches you key skills such as rapid prototyping, CAD modeling, and financial forecasting, all at the intersection of technology and business strategy. You will work in teams to solve technical bottlenecks and use lean startup methodologies to test and validate your scientific or engineering innovations. Successful GSE scholars can also qualify for major scholarships at several of Kentucky’s leading universities.
4. Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics
Location: Morehead State University, Morehead, KY
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective, 240 students from 94 KY high schools
Dates: Academic Year (Two-year residential program)
Application Deadline: Early February
Eligibility: Kentucky high school sophomores
The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics allows you to complete high school while living on Morehead State University’s campus and taking a full load of STEM college courses. What sets Craft Academy apart is that it offers project-based STEM+X courses that help you develop both advanced STEM knowledge as well as competency in other verticals such as entrepreneurship, design and civic engagement. The program is designed for students who demonstrate exceptional aptitude in quantitative analysis and scientific methodology. Academic expectations are high; you will be required to maintain a strong GPA while managing a collegiate course load that includes university-level physics and chemistry.
5. Louisville Science Pathways (LSP)
Location: University of Louisville, Louisville, KY
Cost: No cost, this is a paid internship where students can earn $15/hour
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 15 – July 24
Application Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Rising high school sophomores, juniors and seniors who are Jefferson County residents
The Louisville Science Pathways (LSP) program places high school students within an active University of Louisville research laboratory to function as a junior researcher on a specific biomedical or engineering project. You will develop foundational research competencies, mastering laboratory safety protocols, understanding experimental design, and learning how to analyze and interpret data. You will also participate in professional development workshops that strengthen scientific communication, introduce core engineering concepts, and support college preparation. The experience culminates in a symposium where you present your original findings to university faculty and graduate mentors.
6. Norton Healthcare High School Academy
Location: Louisville, KY
Cost: No cost, this is a paid internship
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Fall and spring semesters of the academic school year, with a 12-hour commitment per week
Application Deadline: Varies by position
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors aged 17 or older
This program places you within the clinical and administrative framework of a major regional healthcare system. You can be assigned to work in a variety of healthcare settings, such as patient care, inpatient lab processing, clinical support, or diagnostic imaging departments. TThroughout the experience, you’ll observe the application of diagnostic technology and gain insights into the logistical coordination required to manage high patient volumes efficiently and safely. The selection process looks for students with a demonstrated trajectory toward medicine or healthcare-related STEM fields. Once admitted, you have to conduct yourself as a professional staff member, adhering to HIPAA and clinical protocols.
7. Brown Cancer Center (BCC) Summer Research Program
Location: Louisville, KY
Cost: Free, students receive a $3,500 stipend
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 1 – July 31
Application Deadline: April 5
Eligibility: Outstanding high school students with a strong interest in scientific research, aged 16+
This 9-week summer research program places high school students within a professional research lab at the Brown Cancer Center, where you’ll contribute to ongoing research in cancer biology and immunotherapy. The program begins with a 2-week long hands-on wet lab research experience. In this phase, you’ll participate in the Center’s drug discovery project. The remainder of the program will be a mentored research experience with Brown faculty, which will provide exposure to the iterative process of drug discovery and clinical translation. The experience concludes with a formal research presentation where you are required to defend your methodology and findings before a panel of principal investigators.
8. ACS Project SEED at Western Kentucky University
Location: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
Cost: No cost
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: 8–10 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: April 14
Eligibility: Current high school sophomore, junior, or senior with at least one year of chemistry. Family income must not exceed 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines based on family size.
ACS Project SEED is a national summer research experience that places high school students in professional chemistry laboratories to conduct original research in areas such as molecular synthesis or materials science. You will work under the guidance of a faculty mentor on a defined research project, applying advanced instrumentation such as NMR spectroscopy or HPLC to explore and characterize new compounds. You will work alongside graduate students and doctoral candidates to solve problems in molecular design, culminating in a technical report submitted to the American Chemical Society.
9. University of Kentucky: STEM Camps
Location: Lexington, KY (Commutable from Louisville or residential)
Cost: Keep an eye on the website for details
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrolment but limited intake
Dates: June 8 – 12 or June 22 – 26
Application Deadline: Applications open March 3 and close when full
Eligibility: Rising 9th-12th graders
The University of Kentucky hosts a variety of STEM Camps to introduce advanced STEM topics to K-12 students. Two programs are tailored specifically for high school students, including the Chem Camp, and Computer Science Camp. Whichever track you select, you will participate in a hands-on learning experience at the UK campus. The Chem Camp places an emphasis on investigative lab techniques using UK’s advanced laboratories, while the Computer Science Camp focuses on programming various types of sensors and creating loop sequences. Both camps serve as a solid introduction to STEM fundamentals.
10. NASA SEES (STEM Enhancement in Earth Science) Internship
Location: Remote (with potential travel to Texas)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: Virtual internships vary by project, though they are generally between June – July 21
Application Deadline: February 22
Eligibility: Current high school sophomores and juniors who are US citizens aged 16+
SEES provides an opportunity for high school students to work with NASA researchers to analyze satellite data and investigate Earth’s systems. Research themes often include climate change, land use, and planetary health. This program requires you to work with massive datasets provided by NASA’s Earth Observation satellites. You will utilize specialized GIS (Geographic Information Systems) software and in some cases, Python for data visualization and trend analysis. The selection process is nationally competitive, and your work contributes to actual NASA research goals. You will collaborate with NASA scientists and fellow high school researchers from across the country, mirroring the structure and expectations of professional distributed research teams.
11. AgDiscovery Program at KSU
Location: Frankfort, KY (Commutable from Louisville)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Highly selective
Dates: June 1 – 14
Application Deadline: April 15
Eligibility: High school students in grades 9-11
AgDiscovery is a national STEM program operating at the intersection of agricultural science, animal science, veterinary science, and the business dimensions of agriculture. Hosted at Kentucky State University (KSU), the program places an emphasis on veterinary medicine and animal science. You will work with KSU researchers on goat venipuncture, perform animal dissection, and visit horse and dairy farms. The curriculum teaches you to apply biology and chemistry to solve problems in sustainable agriculture.
12. UPS Worldport School-to-Work Program
Location: Louisville, KY
Cost: No cost, this is a paid opportunity
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Competitive
Dates: Academic year, starting in the summer
Application Deadline: Varies. Check with your local school counselor.
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors in JCPS/Louisville area
This program embeds high school students within the technical operations of the world’s largest package handling facility, so you gain firsthand experience with systems engineering and logistics technologies that power global distribution. Through this program, you may have the opportunity to work in building and systems engineering (BaSE), where you assist in the maintenance and optimization of industrial automation and tracking systems. You will also gain exposure to large-scale IT infrastructure and the operational mechanics of a global air network. This is a high-responsibility placement that requires you to troubleshoot real-world technical issues alongside professional engineers.
One more option – Horizon Academic Research Program
If you’re looking for a competitive mentored research program in subjects like data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, and chemistry, consider applying to Horizon’s Research Seminars and Labs! This is a selective virtual research program that lets you engage in advanced research and develop a research paper on a subject of your choosing. Horizon has worked with 1000+ high school students so far and offers 600+ research specializations for you to choose from. You can find the application link here!
Image source – University of Kentuky