
CATALYST is a one-week residential program at Cornell for rising high school juniors and seniors that targets high school students from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in STEM. The program aims to increase literacy about engineering as a college course of study, as well as to emphasize professional and graduate school options in engineering. Students will also take part in sessions to help them understand the college admissions process.
CATALYST Scholars live in dorms for one week on the Cornell campus, networking with current Cornell Engineering students, teachers, and a varied group of participants from throughout the country. Participants attend daily classes in one area of study supervised by a Cornell Engineering faculty member and collaborate to perform and present a research project under the supervision of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. In addition, students attend eleven field sessions across our engineering majors, as well as one admissions-focused field session. The Academy’s primary goals are to increase literacy about engineering as a major area of study in college, to highlight professional and graduate school options in engineering, and to simplify the admissions process.