The Summer Research Academy (SRA) is an enrichment opportunity to explore areas of science & humanities in-depth, beyond what is covered in a typical high school classroom. SRA is open to motivated middle and high students entering grades 8-12 in the fall from MCDS and the general public.
MCDS students entering grades 11-12 can apply to be a peer leader if they have previous experience participating in SRA.
Our science research experiences are offered as a partnership between Madison Country Day School and Edgewood College. Students will have the opportunity to engage in authentic science research, learning from experts in their field. Through the partnership with the college, students can work in university labs and access tools more sophisticated than those in a typical high school environment.
Scholarly research extends beyond science and into the humanities! We are pleased to offer experiences for students to engage in creative writing and historical research. Offering these programs at the college gives students access to libraries and archives where they can hone their academic research skills. Students will also take advantage of the campus to learn about local history and gain inspiration from nature.
Click on the arrows next to the workshop titles below to learn more.
Session 1: June 16-20 & June 23-27 (no class on June 19 in observance of Juneteenth)
Session 2: July 7-11 & July 14-18
New this year! Half-day sessions: Morning (9 am - Noon) + Afternoon (1-4 pm). We hope this will give students flexibility with sports, jobs, and other summer commitments. Students wanting a full-day research experience can register for both morning and afternoon sessions.
Priority registration will open for MCDS families on December 26, 2024.
Registration will be handled through the Popsicle software (same system that MCDS uses for afterschool/SparkTime/Summer Discovery). If you don't have an account, you will need to make one before registering. You can search that site for all summer programs by grade or date. Direct links for SRA programs are below.
Scroll down for additional details.
Session 1: June 16-20 & June 23-27 (9:00 AM-12:00 PM)
Note that there will be no program on July 19 (Juneteenth)
For students entering: Grades 8-12
Location: Edgewood College
Explore the fascinating intersection of nature, biomechanics, engineering and architecture to create innovative and imaginative designs! This hands-on course introduces participants to the design cycle as a tool for developing and improving products inspired by the world around us.
Participants will delve into biological forms, human and animal adaptations, and architectural structures to spark fresh ideas for their projects. Through guided activities, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing, you'll learn to apply concepts from nature and design in new and unexpected ways. Whether you're inspired by the streamlined flight of birds or the organic flow of natural patterns, this workshop will help you bring your creative visions to life.
Open to anyone curious about design and creativity, this workshop is perfect for makers, designers, and problem-solvers looking to expand their toolkit.
Michelle Kramer (she/her), MS is the Chemistry and Environmental Systems & Society (ESS) teacher at Madison Country Day School. She has a master’s degree in Geoscience and undergraduate degrees in chemistry and journalism. In her spare time, she plays with her dogs, builds furniture, and fixes chromebooks.
James Diodato (they/them), MS is the Fabrication Laboratory Director and a Lecturer in Physics at Edgewood College. Their master's degree is in solid state physics, and they hold a BS in physics with emphasis in astronomy and mathematics. After graduate school, they attended Madison College and earned numerous degrees in manufacturing, fabrication, and electronics. In their spare time, they listen to audio books, repair and design electronics projects, and make jewelry.
Session 1: June 16-20 & June 23-27 (1:00-4:00 PM)
Note that there will be no program on July 19 (Juneteenth)
For students entering: Grades 8-10
Location: Edgewood College
Think like a limnologist! Embark on a two-week field study program where students develop lab techniques and data analysis skills to answer the enduring question: “What is the health of Lake Wingra and what role do humans have in this?” Students will gather data from the field, hear from experts in local limnology, and propose future topics of advocacy for exploration. Instructors have been trained through the University of Wisconsin's Wisconsin Sea Grant program and will be using equipment borrowed from that program to collect water quality data for their research projects. The program will culminate with a State of Lake address where students present research and propose future advocacy opportunities.
Comfort being on and near the water (e.g. kayaking for 1+ hours at a time) is required.
Katie Klitzke (she/her), MS is a middle school science teacher at MCDS and moonlights as a graphic designer. Katie has a BS in Biology and loves to do science while she travels. As an undergrad she did field research in Australia, through the Research Experience for Teachers program she visited Puerto Rico, and most recently she studied leaf cutter ant colonies in Costa Rica. Katie is set on instilling a passion in students for solving the world's problems while using science and critical thinking. Off the clock, she enjoys hilly hikes and making paper puppet dragons (or any project involving cardboard and glue) with her daughter.
Session 2: July 7-11 & July 14-18 (9:00 AM-12:00 PM)
For students entering: Grades 9-12
Location: Edgewood College
Zebrafish are a favorite model organism for biologists to study physiology. In this course, we will investigate the effects of exercise on zebrafish as a potential way to mitigate the impacts of conditions such as liver disease, diabetes mellitus, anxiety, and depression. We will use a swim tunnel apparatus to design and implement exercise protocols for zebrafish. Advanced behavioral analysis software will help track and evaluate zebrafish activity, providing insights into their neurological and physiological responses.
Donika Rakacolli (she/her), PhD is a lecturer in the Division of Biological Sciences at Edgewood College. She teaches Pathophysiology and Anatomy & Physiology. Preparing and observing cells under the microscope has been her passion for a long time. Outside school, she takes care of her orchids and loves to bike.
Session 2: July 7-11 & July 14-18 (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
For students entering: Grades 8-12
Location: Edgewood College
Did you know that you are constantly bombarded with invisible particles from space? In this session, you’ll have the opportunity to study cosmic rays! Cosmic rays are one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics today. We’ll look at data from the IceCube neutrino observatory (located at the South Pole) and also design our own experiments to learn more about cosmic rays. You’ll have the chance to meet scientists working on the IceCube project and visit their research labs in Madison. Together, we’ll explore the mysterious and strange lives of subatomic particles.
Rachael Lancor (she/her), PhD is a science teacher and the Research Program Coordinator at Madison Country Day School. Prior to coming to MCDS, she taught physics at Edgewood College and Harvard University. Her master’s project focused on cosmic rays, and she is excited to collaborate with the IceCube outreach team on this summer research program. She has a MS in Physics from the University of Rochester and a PhD in Science Education from UW-Madison.
Rob Young (he/him), MS is a physics teacher at Edgewood High School. He has a bachelor's degree in physics from Washington University, a master's degree in physics from the University of Wisconsin, and loves to talk astrophysics and particle physics.
Session 2: July 7-11 & July 14-18 (9:00 AM-12:00 PM)
For students entering: Grades 8-12
Location: Edgewood College
In this course, we will explore writing as a visual practice. Students will learn how to effectively convey the world around them through imagery, specificity of detail, and narrative strategies that approach “the image” as both subject and inspiration. Throughout our time together, students will engage with a number of voices in published poetry and prose, generate writing in response to prompts, and discuss their creative drafts with peers in a writers' workshop format. At the end of the session, students will be comfortable implementing visual considerations into their writing and will have created a short portfolio of new creative work.
Laura Romeyn (she/her), MFA is the author of the poetry collection Wild Conditions (Poetry Society of America). She received her MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia University, where she was the Poetry Editor of Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art, and a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Poetry from Stanford University, where she taught in Pre-Collegiate Studies. Laura's poems have been published widely, including in AGNI, Harvard Review, and The Yale Review. During the school year, she teaches 9th and 10th grade English at Madison Country Day School.
Session 2: July 7-11 & July 14-18 (1:00 PM-4:00 PM)
For students entering: Grades 8-12
Location: Edgewood College
Pop quiz: what state capital is the home of the oldest publicly-funded historical society in the United States? If you answered Madison, Wisconsin, you’re right! Historians in our area have been preserving documents, collecting stories, interpreting information, and sharing their work with the public since at least 1846 (two years before Wisconsin even became a state!). This course will follow in that rich tradition, as students will learn basic principles of historical inquiry and investigation by working together to identify and solve a local “historical mystery.” Over the course of this session, we will:
get hands-on experience working with different types of documents at area archives, including the Wisconsin Historical Society and local colleges/universities;
find and connect with relevant community organizations to expand and contextualize our knowledge; and
collaboratively create a public history “product” (i.e., an editorial, documentary, podcast, mural, etc.) in order to share our work with a wider audience.
Ben Kasten (he/him), MA is a high school history teacher at Madison Country Day School. Born and raised in Ripon, Wisconsin, he holds a BA from Bowdoin College and MA degrees from the University of London (History & Theory) and UW–Madison (U.S. Cultural & Intellectual History). Lately, he's been interested in landscapes as historical documents, thinking historically about pop culture, and projects that connect historical research with public audiences. When he's not at school he enjoys cooking (and grocery shopping!), hiking all around the Madison area, and spending time with his family.
SRA is open to motivated students entering grades 8-12.
MCDS students entering grades 11-12 can apply to be peer leaders and attend at no charge.
Priority registration will be given to MCDS families, with remaining slots open to the general public.
Space is limited! Each session will be capped at 10 students.
All programs run for two weeks.
We have found that students need the full two weeks to be fully immersed in the content and have a high-quality research experience. This allows them time to design an experiment/investigation, to collect and analyze data/sources, to think creatively and critically about complex ideas, and to figure out how to effectively present these ideas to their peers and parents. It also allows ample time for guest speaders and field trips to UW research labs/libraries.
Note that there will be no program on July 19 (Juneteenth)
Daily Schedule:
NEW this year: half day sessions! We made this change based on feedback from students and parents to allow for more flexiblility. Some students have sports, jobs, etc. and were not able to commit for full days. (And some are just tired after a full day of thinking!) Students who wish to attend both a morning and afternoon session will be supervised during the lunch break.
Morning Session: 9:00 am - 12:00 pm
Afternoon Session: 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Extended day options: drop off between 8:30-9:00 am and pick up 4:00-4:30 pm.
Location: Sonderegger Science Center, Edgewood College (1000 Edgewood College Dr., Madison, WI)
The partnership with Edgewood College allows students to work in university-level laboratories, which gives them access to higher-quality equipment than is typically available to high school students.
Additionally, the location in downtown Madison makes it easier to take field trips to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to visit research labs and libraries, such as the WI Historical Society.
$450 for each two-week (half-day) session
Scholarships are available!
MCDS students who receive financial aid are eligible for scholarships.
A limited number of scholarships are also available to students from other schools.
Complete the Financial Aid Application
Contact Rachael Lancor (rlancor@madisoncountryday.org) with questions about financial aid
For more information, contact:
Rachael Lancor, PhD
Research Program Coordinator
Madison Country Day School