Summer STEM Scholars Program

Summer 2026

people with tardigardes under a microscope

Under the guidance of Ian Woods.
Left to right: Ian Woods, Natalie Kiser, Aashika Shah, Pamela Sherpa

Summer Scholars have been 8-10 week full-time paid positions, through either internal or external grant funding.  All students are eligible for most of these positions regardless of GPA or class year.

Broader Opportunities On- and Off-Campus

Summer research gives the flexibility to run experiments, visit places, and do field research that might not fit within class schedules during the academic year.  

Previous Summer Scholars have:

  • Visited Puerto Rico to sample plants on the beaches and microbes in the water with Peter Melcher, Susan Witherup, Nanda Cortes, and Dave Gondek
  • Made a road trip to ponds around the Northeast to sample aquatic invertebrates with Brooks Miner
  • Trapped small mammals at dawn at nearby Sapsucker Woods with Leann Kanda
  • Worked on C. elegans in a collaborator's research lab at University of Maryland with Te-Wen Lo
  • Learned new cell imaging techniques at Cornell University with Ed Cluett
  • Gotten a behind-the-scenes tour of the Smithsonian Conservation Institute at the National Zoological Park with Nanda Cortes

How to Apply for Summer Scholars

  1. Review faculty projects and talk with faculty members about their summer opportunities.  Talking with faculty members is key! We promise we don't bite.  But we are far more likely to advocate for a student to join our summer team if we've met with you beforehand.
  2. Submit an application through the common H&S Summer Scholars Program.
student in woods
a group of students outside at a party with squirt guns and beach balls
four women sit on a large concrete sculpture that says ZOO