The Summer Research Program was founded in 1990 by Dr. Samuel C. Silverstein and has traditionally been housed at Columbia University. In 2023, the program expanded to the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and is currently accepting applications for the summer of 2026.

The program provides hands-on laboratory and didactic professional development experiences for experienced (2-3+ years of teaching middle or high school) science teachers of all areas of the life and physical sciences (e.g., biology, AP biology, biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, health, chemistry, computer science, earth science, physics, AP chemistry, AP physics, etc.). Participants of the program spend 7-8 weeks per summer, for two consecutive summers, interning in a scientific laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Participants gain hands-on research experience, mentored by Mount Sinai faculty members, and the opportunity to fully immerse oneself in the research enterprise by attending lab meetings, department seminars, and internal conferences.