Garcia Summer Program

Eligibility Requirements:

GPA of 3.8/4.0

SAT/ACT score of 60th percentile or higher

Taken 3 of: English, Chemistry, Math, Physics, Biology (Honors or Higher)

RECOMMENDED for rising sophomores and juniors

Location: Stonybrook University, Long Island, NY (Online for 2020, 2021)

Length: 6 weeks

The Garcia Summer Program is hosted by the Garcia Center for Polymers and Engineered Interfaces at Stony Brook University. It is a seven-week-long camp where students perform research in polymer science and technology with Garcia staff. At Garcia, students are involved in high-quality research that many graduate students perform and are able to delve deep into a specific field of interest, whether that be genetics, chemistry, or robotics. Many of these projects are then submitted into national competitions as well as published in research journals. Directed by Dr. Michael Cuiffo and Dr. Miriam Rafailovich, professors of Stony Brook's engineering department, the Garcia summer program gives high school students the unique opportunity to participate in intensive, high-level research.

One of the unique aspects of the Garcia Program is that all of the participants have a chance to present their work at the world's premier materials science conference, the Materials Research Society's Fall Meeting and Exhibit. The program focuses on helping students publish the work and all students are able to accomplish this as long as they keep in contact with the faculty. I was able to attend the program in the summer before my junior year and even with the pandemic, I found the faculty extremely supportive and I continue to work with them even now, nearly a year after the start of the program. Students can choose from a wide range of projects as well; last year, there were almost 100 different choices to choose from!

Learn more: https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/garcia/summer_program/program_description.php