This study investigates how high school students respond to an environment of authentic science inquiry while participating in an intensive summer institute, the Waksman Student Scholars Programme at Rutgers University. We examined how students apprenticed with expert scientists in a study of contemporary questions in molecular genetics. Students engaged in both laboratory practices and seminars as part of their experience in this program. We assessed student learning about conceptual knowledge of molecular genetics as well as their beliefs about the nature of science. Student conceptual knowledge increased and their beliefs about the nature of science changed to a more tentative perspective. We examined student learning qualitatively through their journals, which showed that some students were developing more sophisticated ways of thinking about the issues that were raised in their seminars and laboratory research. These ways included an increased ability to generate hypotheses, consider alternative hypotheses, implement models and logical argumentation in explanations, connect ideas, extend concepts, and ask questions. These results suggest that meaningfully engaging pre-college students in the practice of real science can make a difference in their understanding and beliefs. (Contains 1 table and 2 notes.)