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Explore Big Ideas with Real Projects
Nova Project Labs for Middle School students
From artificial intelligence to healthcare, middle schoolers dive into fun, month-long small-group projects guided by mentors from the world’s top 25 universities. Along the way, they build early domain expertise, gain confidence for the future, and complete one of their first portfolio-ready projects.
Enter High School with Focus and Confidence
The earlier students discover what excites them, the sooner they can grow into their best selves. Middle schoolers have big dreams but need guidance to turn curiosity into real-world skills and projects. With expert mentorship and hands-on experiences, Nova helps students uncover passions, build showcase-ready work, and gain the confidence and skills they’ll carry into more advanced projects, high school, college, and beyond.
Nova mentors are from top 25 universities
You deserve world-class support to reach your full potential. That’s why every Nova mentor is a graduate candidate, professor, or alumnus of a top 25 university, including Harvard, Stanford, and MIT. We want middle and high school students to create meaningful work that showcases their best selves.
Choose Your Nova Project Lab
Class 1: How Algorithms and AI Shape the Internet
AI vs. machine learning vs. algorithms (with real examples)
How recommendations shape what you see online (YouTube/TikTok)
Ethical AI basics: bias, fairness, transparency
Mini-activity: Map a YouTube recommendation flow + identify where bias can appear
Class 2: How AI learns
Training data and labeling (why “data quality” matters)
Supervised learning foundations (inputs → prediction → feedback)
Accuracy and model mistakes: overfitting vs. generalization
Mini-activity: Train a simple classifier + test it on new examples
Class 3: Real-world AI systems
How feeds rank and personalize content (signals + scoring)
Search ranking fundamentals (relevance, popularity, freshness)
Moderation trade-offs: safety, speech, false positives/negatives
Mini-activity: Design a ranking + moderation rule set for a platform
Class 4: Build & present a prototype
Prototype a redesigned YouTube-style experience (mockups)
Explain how AI powers recommendations /search /moderation in your design
Present ethical trade-offs and justify product decisions
Mini-activity: Final showcase + peer feedback
Class 1: Startups & Business Models
What startups are (and how they differ from traditional businesses)
How companies create value: customers, problems, and solutions
Business models that power real companies (subscriptions, marketplaces, freemium, etc.)
Mini-activity: Break down a real startup’s business model (Who pays? Why? What’s the value?)
Class 2: Market Research & Competitive Strategy
How to define your target customer and customer “persona”
Market sizing basics (TAM/SAM/SOM—simple, intuitive version)
Competitive analysis and differentiation (why customers choose you)
Mini-activity: Build a quick competitor map + define a unique value proposition
Class 3: Finance, Marketing & Go-to-Market
Revenue, costs, profit, and pricing (founder-level basics)
Marketing fundamentals: channels, messaging, and positioning
Go-to-market planning: how you acquire your first users/customers
Mini-activity: Create a simple pricing + launch plan for your idea
Class 4: Build & Pitch a Business
Turn your idea into a clear business plan and story
Create a basic financial model (revenue + cost assumptions)
Build a pitch deck and practice confident delivery
Mini-activity: Final pitch + feedback (clarity, strategy, and persuasion)
Class 1: Foundations of Healthcare & Public Health
How healthcare systems work (clinical care, public health, and policy)
Major global and community health challenges
How innovation shapes outcomes in medicine and public health
Mini-activity: Analyze a real health problem and map its causes and stakeholders
Class 2: Medicine, Research & Data in Healthcare
How doctors, researchers, and public health experts study disease
Basics of clinical research, trials, and health data
How evidence informs diagnosis, treatment, and prevention
Mini-activity: Interpret simplified health data and research findings
Class 3: Innovation, Ethics & Health Equity
Medical innovation: diagnostics, treatments, and digital health tools
Ethical challenges in healthcare (access, consent, privacy)
Health disparities and equity in real-world systems
Mini-activity: Evaluate a healthcare innovation through an ethics and equity lens
Class 4: Build & Present a Healthcare Project
Choose a real-world health challenge to address
Create a professional webpage to raise awareness or propose a solution
Communicate impact, evidence, and ethical considerations
Mini-activity: Final project showcase + mentor feedback
Hear from Our Students
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We know you may have questions...
How long is the Nova Project Labs program for middle school students?
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Build your first project
Explore big ideas and take the first step into the future, guided by mentors from the world’s top universities.
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