Registration and Camp FAQs
Which age groups are recommended to register for BioIgnite camps?
Our content is specifically designed for middle school students. Our founders, who are all pursuing or have completed graduate degrees related to bioengineering, were not exposed to bioengineering until high school, or even college! Therefore, our mission is to engage students at a young age in bioSTEM content and careers.
Our BioIgnite Lab camps require content taught in the typical 7th grade classroom and thus are only open to rising 8th and 9th graders.
What camps are currently available?
Please click here for a list of our current offerings.
What is the difference between BioIgnite Design and BioIgnite Lab?
First, the age range is difference. BioIgnite Design is for rising 6th-8th grades and BioIgnite Lab is for rising 8th and 9th. The topics taught in the camps are different and the afternoon lab portion is the key difference. In BioIgnite Design students design a prosthetic hand and in BioIgnite Lab students perform a series of science experiments in the lab.
Is there a difference between your camps at Georgia Tech and off-campus camps?
There is no difference in the content, however, the registration process is different. All registration for Georgia Tech Camps are handled by Georgia Tech’s CEISMC department.
How can I stay up to date on BioIgnite offerings?
You can follow us on Facebook or Twitter. You can also subscribe to our mailing list here.
How can I add my student to the waitlist for a camp?
Once the camp becomes full, the registration page will turn into a waitlist sign-up page. You fill out the form as if you were registering, input your payment method and click submit. Your credit card will NOT be charged unless you are accepted from the waitlist. We will always call or email you to confirm your availability and interest before accepting you from the waitlist. If you have any problems e-mail us at info(at)bioignite.org
What is your Student to Teacher ratio?
Our summer camps have between a 5:1 and 6:1 student to teacher ratio. Our camps are typically limited to 20 students. One camp coordinator, 2 graduate students, and an undergraduate teaching assistant are standard for each summer camp.
What is your cancellation policy?
Camps are subject to cancellation by BioIgnite if a minimum of 10 registrants is not reached. Refunds are allowed (minus a 10% administrative fee) for cancellations prior to 21 days before the camp. Cancellations within 21 days of the start of the camp will not be given a refund.
Do you provide lunch? What about allergies or dietary restrictions?
Our Saturday camps end by noon and no lunch is provided, but there is a snack break. During our week long summer camps which run from 9am-3pm we provide a morning snack break and lunch at noon. Please note any dietary restrictions or allergies upon registering. We will make every effort to make the appropriate accommodations for your student’s restrictions. You are welcome to send a lunch in with your student if you have any concerns.
Can students from outside Atlanta attend BioIgnite camps?
Students from outside Atlanta are more than welcome to attend our camps; however, we are unable to offer any financial assistance with travel and lodging. BioIgnite camps are NOT overnight camps.
Do you offer scholarships?
Yes! We offer need-based scholarships to interested students. Need is verified by providing an eligibility letter for free and reduced lunch from the student’s school. E-mail info@bioignite.org to apply for the scholarship. Number of scholarships vary each year.
Does BioIgnite offer camps outside Atlanta?
BioIgnite will be launching our newest location in Durham in Spring of 2018. If you’re interested in helping BioIgnite expand our offerings to your city, please contact us!
About BioIgnite
What type of instruction does BioIgnite employ to teach its camps?
We use a combination of hands-on activities and PowerPoint-based teaching to instruct our students.
- The hands-on activities, which are the crux of our teaching style, serve to engage the students throughout each camp. Between our graduate student instructors and our undergraduate teaching assistants, we are able to offer small-group learning for all our hands-on activities.
- The PowerPoints, which are taught by graduate students with research expertise in the content area, help the students understand the scientific foundation underlying their activities. We strive to make the PowerPoints as engaging as possible by including videos and interactive web-based activities, as well as relating our content to the students’ daily lives.
Does BioIgnite have any offerings for high school students?
Our offerings are currently limited to middle school students, but we envision expanding to high school students in the future. For the time being, we recommend that high school students seek out summer research opportunities at a nearby research university by directly contacting the professor who runs the lab. Although not all labs are open to high school student researchers, we know from experience that many labs at Georgia Tech are!
How can I learn more about hosting a camp?
Please click here to fill out our host-a-camp contact form.
How can I learn more about the scientific content taught in BioIgnite camps?
To explore more about bioSTEM topics, please click here for a curated list of resources.
Who does BioIgnite hire to teach and run camps? How can I learn more?
- We hire graduate students with relevant research experience as our module instructors and engineering design instructors. Please click here to apply.
- We hire experienced (5+ years of science teaching) middle or high school teachers as our camp coordinators. For more information please visit BioIgnite’s page on Indeed.com.
We hire undergraduate students in STEM fields as our teaching assistants. Please click here to apply.
