High School Summer Research Experience in Cancer (SURE-CAN)

# High School Summer Research Experience in Cancer (SURE-CAN) SURE-CAN is the high school summer research program of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. Over six full-time weeks in Buffalo, students work through an immersive curriculum of lectures, group discussions, and hands-on research in either a 'wet' laboratory or a computational 'dry' lab setting. ## What You'll Do - Attend eight-hour days, 40 hours per week, for six weeks (the 2026 session ran June 26 - August 7) - Learn the fundamentals of cancer science: cancer biology, imaging, genomics, and emerging technologies including AI methods - Conduct hands-on wet- or dry-lab research alongside Roswell Park scientists - Practice scientific communication and present a formal poster at the closing research symposium ## Who Should Apply High school juniors who live and attend school in Erie, Niagara, Cattaraugus, or Chautauqua counties in Western New York, within commuting distance of Roswell Park. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and at least 15 years old at the program start. There are no application fees, and limited funding is available to support subsistence allowances for a select number of qualifying participants. The 2026 portal has closed; applications typically reopen in winter. ## Outcomes Participants finish with a poster presentation at a comprehensive cancer center, exposure to both laboratory and computational oncology, and a credential that distinguishes research-minded students across Western New York.