High School Students are Paired with Top Researchers in UCSB Summer Mentorship Program

High school students eager to jump-start their college careers while learning how research is conducted may enroll now for UC Santa Barbara's Research Mentorship Program to be held this summer from June 21 through July 31.

Qualified students will have the opportunity to take two courses for university credit, which will include laboratory, library, or fieldwork research with graduate students and UCSB faculty. At the end of the session, participants will present their research findings before an audience of friends, families, faculty, students, and staff members.

To be accepted into the program, high school students must have earned a minimum 3.3 grade point average and submit letters of recommendation and other material to UCSB's Summer Sessions Office by May 31.

Students who participate in the program can choose to live in campus residence halls for the six-week session, or commute to the campus daily for classes.

Residential tuition is $5,998; tuition for those who commute is $2,500.

Scholarships are available to qualified students.

The program, now in its tenth year, is directed by Miriam Polne-Fuller, who is also a research biologist in UCSB's Marine Science Institute.

She says the program offers high school students a unique opportunity to experience the process of research and academic discovery.

"Every summer, students tell us that the Research Mentorship Program was a great intellectual adventure for mind and body, and that this experience was one of the best they have had," Polne-Fuller says.