Future health leaders: Students, mentors, and program organizers gather to celebrate a week of collaborative biosensing innovation at the University of Minnesota.
For most high school students, summer vacation is a time to step away from textbooks. But from July 6 to July 10, 2026, the University of Minnesota’s (UMN) East Bank campus became a bustling, hands-on laboratory. Approximately 60 high school students gathered on campus, arriving from the Power of People Learning Institute’s Girls Taking Action program, the Minnesota STEM Partnership, and several local schools. They weren't there to take notes, they were there to transition from classroom learners into active inventors.
Hosted by the University’s International Institute for Biosensing (IIB), the "Future Health Innovators" summer camp challenged students to solve real-world medical and environmental crises using advanced sensors, supercomputing, and human-centered design thinking. To make it happen, a diverse coalition of industry, non-profit, and academic partners stepped up to design custom challenges, supply raw materials, and mentor the students throughout the week.
“Biosensing is the ultimate superpower—it is the art and engineering of listening to the invisible signals to save lives and protect our planet,” Patricia Khashayar, director of the IIB, told the students as they arrived. “My challenge to you is simple: dive in with fearless curiosity. Use every experiment, every row of code, and every massive data stream to discover what truly ignites your passion.”