Unfortunately, due to uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and new variants, we are deeply disheartened to announce that the Summer STEM Institute (SSI) will be discontinued. SSI 2020 and SSI 2021 were both amazing programs, and our staff is very grateful to have been able to impact the lives of students around the world.
The Summer STEM Institute (SSI) was founded with the mission of making research and mentorship accessible to high school students. The program was initially started by a team of graduates, students, and educators from Stanford, Harvard, MIT, and other leading universities.
The program believes that conducting research in high school is an incredibly valuable and rewarding educational experience. By wrangling through unstructured and creative tasks in the scientific method and learning how to present and communicate findings, students develop invaluable technical and communication skills that will serve them throughout their careers in any field. It is no coincidence that those that excel in high school research go on to achieve much in college and beyond. The mission of SSI is to make this learning experience accessible to talented students around the world.
A founding belief of the program is that with modern technology tools, a virtual educational experience can not just match but rather exceed an in-person program in both quality and educational value. Every staff member of the program deeply values educating and mentoring students to reach their full potentials, and the program hopes to support students after the end of the program and throughout their careers.
Another core goal of SSI is to form a strong community and network of talented and hardworking students from around the world. Nothing makes staff members happier than hearing updates from students about initiatives they are working on with other students and how SSI has affected their life trajectories. You can read more about alumni experiences here.
The Summer STEM Institute (SSI) would not be possible without the guidance and support from its advisory team. Please see below for a list of advisors for the program.
James Glimm
Distinguished Professor at Stony Brook University, Former President of the American Mathematical Society
Jonathan Katzman
Chief Product Officer at the Minerva Project
Barbara Pugliese
Chief Financial Officer at the Stanford Alumni Association
Chris Unger
Associate Teaching Professor in the Graduate Programs in Education at Northeastern University
Mike Town
Teacher Advisory Council Member for the National Academies of Science, Einstein Fellow
Richard Wiebe
Assistant Professor at the University of Washington
Civil & Environmental Engineering Department
Claire Shorall
CEO of TopKnot, Teach for America Computer Science and STEM Educator
Melissa Wrenchey
STEM Educator, Microsoft Innovative Educator, HP Teaching Fellow
Serdar Tumgoren
Lorry I. Lokey Visiting Professor in Data Journalism at Stanford University
Gador Canton
Research Scientist at the University of Washington
Meg Town
Researcher at the Institute for Systems Biology, Science Educator
Lisa Solomon
Educator at the Stanford d.school, Bestselling Author of Moments of Impact
Mike Mansbach
Founder of Granite Stairway Advisors, Parent of SSI Alumni
Jennifer Mansbach
Business Consultant, Parent of SSI Alumni
David Hinden
Surgeon at the V.A. Medical Center, Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellow
Leland Lim
Clinical Associate Professor at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Parent of SSI Alumni