Designed specifically for talented high school students, COSMOS is a four-week summer residential program at UC campuses that provides students with an unparalleled opportunity to work side-by-side with outstanding researchers and university faculty, covering topics that extend beyond the typical high school curriculum such as astronomy, ocean science, robotics, computer science, animal behavior, and more. COSMOS courses are hands-on and lab-intensive, emphasizing current research underway at UC campuses.

Located on four University of California campuses (Davis, Irvine, Santa Cruz, and San Diego), the COSMOS experience is intended to encourage and motivate the most promising young minds of the new generation of prospective scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, so that they may actively participate in the business and higher educational sectors of the State of California. The academic experience includes nine clusters taught by UCSC faculty, special Discovery Lectures, academic field UCSC trips, and enrichment sessions. Students’ residential life includes weekend events and fun peer activities, and COSMOS alumni have opportunities to attend the California Nobel Laureate event, receive research awards and college scholarships, and participate in an industry internship program.

California students completing grades eight through twelve by the summer in which they wish to participate may apply to COSMOS. Prerequisites may be required to ensure success in the course offerings. Parents are encouraged to discuss with their child his or her maturity and readiness to participate in a month-long residential program on a public research university campus. Participants are selected in the spring on the basis of their academic performance, test scores, extracurricular math and science achievements, and recommendations.

UCSC Program Director: Amy Stucky, Ph.D., COSMOS Director
Program Dates: June & July; applications available each year in January with a March 15 deadline.

Program home page: http://epc.ucsc.edu/cosmos/