THE International STEM Program

Purpose Of The Award:

General Description Of The Award:

British American Foundation of Texas provides High School Juniors an all-expenses paid (program, flights, passport, food, transfers, accommodation, insurance, etc.) attendance at the London International Youth Science Forum - www.liysf.org.uk.

LIYSF is 2 week summer STEM program held at Imperial College London (UK’s MIT) & The Royal Geographical Society with lectures from world-leading scientists and Nobel prize winners and visits to other leading research centers, including Oxford and Cambridge Universities. Departure from Houston will be July 18th and return on August 1st 2026.

Educators and Counselors, you can download our flyer here.

what will I do in London?

Please view the program here and see what last year's scholars had to say about it here.

What will I learn?

You will attend lectures and workshops from world-leading experts about the field of STEM as well as specialized lectures in your field of STEM.

What will I visit?

You will support your classroom learning with visits to laboratories at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and others that may include Imperial College London, University College London (UCL), King’s College London, London Metropolitan University, University of Birmingham, Cardiff University, Cranfield University, University of Essex, University of Nottingham and University of Sussex, as well as private laboratories (for example Airbus, Rolls Royce, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, National Space Centre, National Oceanography Centre, British Antarctic Survey, ​​the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy) and more.

How will I spend my downtime?

Evening events may include team building, quiz night, bus tour of London, cultural showcase, theater night, debate night and more.

Weekends will include sightseeing in London and further afield including Tower of London, Hampton Palace, Stonehenge and more.

Requirements:

Applicants must:

• Be resident in Texas;

• Be 16 years or older on July 10th 2026;

• Be enrolled as a full time High School Junior within the Texas education system;

• Come from a low income household;

• Be in possession of a valid US passport or eligible to receive one, or have a non US passport from a country participating in the UK ETA visa program and valid until at least March 2027;

• Be passionate about STEM;

• Maintain a competitive GPA and hold an excellent school attendance record;

• Be able to attend a brunch with their families in Houston in March and be able to depart for the UK from Houston in July 2026;

• Be able to attend an Awards Dinner to receive the award in Houston on April 30th 2026.

Applicants need to provide:

Applicants need to complete an application form (click on the link below) and upload the following to it:

• A letter of recommendation from a STEM teacher. This must be on a school letterhead and uploaded or emailed directly to info@baftx.org by 12 midday on January 31st. Guidelines for teachers to write your recommendation letter are available here;

• School transcript - official or unofficial;

• 1040 tax form showing your family's income with social security / tax ID numbers obscured.

Please note that the deadline for applications is 12pm on January 31st and we cannot accept incomplete or late forms.

Before completing the form, please read our FAQs and Tips for Completing BAFTX Application Forms.

For more information please contact info@baftx.org