When professors from NHS developed the Summer Biomedical Science Institute (SBSI) to enhance the science education and healthcare awareness of high school students from rural areas, they wanted their curriculum to be technology-driven. The team hoped such an educational model would attract members of rural communities into institutions of higher learning to study biomedical science.

In conjunction with SBSI, NHS students and faculty designed the content of the Biomedical Virtual Laboratory (BVL) which offers distance learning exercises to hone the high school students' knowledge of science and critical thinking skills. Each exercise focuses on a particular theme or topic on which an interactive activity is based; critical thinking questions are written to stimulate the student to consider circumstances in different ways. Georgetown undergraduates work with faculty to write and edit the online content, which is available in both English and Spanish for the substantial number of SBSI participants from Spanish-speaking rural communities. The Virtual Lab also offers a library of links to other sites that host biomedical-related interactive material.

The Biomedical Virtual Lab acts as a continuation of the SBSI at Georgetown University—a way for the students to continue advancing their knowledge by employing technology and distance learning. At the direction of NHS faculty, CNDLS designed the application to store student answers to the exercises, a feature which allows faculty to evaluate student progress. Assessment is also conducted via an online survey of student feedback, which the team then uses to refine the site.