Every summer, 20 high school juniors and seniors log into a Zoom classroom from bedrooms and kitchen tables across Washington State. Over the course of four weeks, they learn to code, analyze real cancer genomic data, and discover what it feels like to think like a scientist.
The virtual Coding for Cancer program launched when COVID-19 shut down in-person research experiences at Fred Hutch, prompting the Science Education team to pivot to an online format. When restrictions were lifted, the program remained virtual because online learning made it possible to reach students across geographic, financial, and logistical barriers.
During the first three weeks of the program, students learn the R programming language while exploring cancer biology. In the final week, they work in small groups alongside mentor scientists at Fred Hutch to develop an original hypothesis-driven research question, apply their newly developed coding skills to investigate topics like patient survival outcomes or cancer molecular subtypes, and present their findings to their peers, just as professional cancer researchers do.
The curriculum extends beyond coding and biology. Dedicated professional development sessions cover topics such as college admissions and introduce students to a range of scientific careers and skills that are often out of reach.
And more students want in than ever before.
“In the first year of the program, we had 42 applicants,” recalls Coding for Cancer program manager Hanako Osuga. “This year we had over 260.” Over the years, a growing share of participants have come from Central and Eastern Washington, where opportunities to explore scientific research locally can be limited. Interest in the program has also extended beyond state lines and even internationally.
That surge reflects a growing curiosity among high school students about the intersection of biology and technology. Dr. Matthew Chan, a postdoctoral researcher in the Campbell and Subramaniam labs in the Basic Sciences Division and an instructor with Coding for Cancer, explains, “As data science, big tech, and AI have grown, we’re seeing that a lot of students may have come across an introductory programming language at school or at camp, but they really haven’t seen how it can be applied to biology.” Bridging the gap between knowing that coding exists and understanding how it can actually be used is exactly what Coding for Cancer is designed to do.
But teaching coding virtually, especially to high school students spread across the state, comes with challenges.
Some participants lack reliable internet access or adequate equipment. Others have summer jobs or younger siblings to care for. To address these barriers, the program loans out laptops and WiFi hotspots, uploads session recordings daily, and offers a financial award to participants upon program completion. Accessibility and flexibility are central to a program designed around the realities of many students’ lives.
The virtual format also challenged the Coding for Cancer team to rethink what participation and communication look like. With cameras typically turned off, the subtle classroom cues that signal confusion or disengagement disappeared. The team responded by layering multiple avenues for students to participate and provide feedback. “Participation, especially online, can come in so many different forms”, explains Osuga. “We just created a regular and deliberate practice to have multiple modes of communication and gently expand students’ comfort with engaging in a virtual space.”
Emoji reactions on Zoom let students signal their understanding in real time. Ungraded surveys at the end of each day, asking basic conceptual questions and inviting feedback on the lesson, helped instructors identify concepts that needed review. Each session also began with an icebreaker prompt that had students discussing which vegetable they’d be or sharing countries they’d love to visit, giving students opportunities to share who they were beyond their academic lives. Over time, instructors noticed students becoming more engaged. Chat participation increased, and students grew more comfortable asking questions and contributing to discussions.
Perhaps the most telling measure of the program's impact was the shift in students’ self-perceptions. Pre- and post-program surveys revealed that after participating in Coding for Cancer, students felt their knowledge, capabilities, and self-image were more closely aligned with those of STEM professionals than before entering the program.
The experience has also shaped how the Coding for Cancer team thinks about mentorship and education.
Students face enormous pressure from grades, extracurricular commitments, and college applications. In that environment opportunities to experiment, discover, and play with learning become rarer. "Students start to lose their excitement for curiosity or critical thinking," Chan reflects. "They don't get the chance to dabble in something just to try it out or the chance to try and fail at something."
Programs like Coding for Cancer offer a lower-stakes space to explore coding, ask questions, and make mistakes. Science rarely follows a clear path. Research involves trial and error, frustration, dead ends, and unexpected discoveries. Students experience that process firsthand in Coding for Cancer and leave with a more honest picture of what scientific work actually looks like. One student reflected, “Past experiences with coding were not my best but I ended up loving this program and am interested in further utilizing R coding in the future.”
For many students, the greatest value of Coding for Cancer is the opportunity to explore technology and science in a way that feels accessible and attainable. Introductory experiences like Coding for Cancer exist to ensure that every curious student, regardless of geography or resources, gets the chance to take their first steps into computational biology.
Fred Hutch/University of Washington/Seattle Children’s Cancer Consortium Member Dr. Jeanne Chowning contributed to this research.
The spotlighted research was funded by the National Cancer Institute Pathways to Cancer Research, a Youth Enjoy Science Award.
Osuga H, Chan MC, Brower K, Ray LJ, and Chowning JT. 2025. Ten simple rules for running a virtual program to introduce computational biology at the high school level. PLoS Comput Biol. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1013830
Science Spotlight writer Thamiya Vasanthakumar is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Campbell Lab at Fred Hutch. As a structural biologist, she uses cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) to visualize the molecular structures of receptors found on the surface of immune cells.