VERSA: Virtual Education Research in STEM Academy @ UC San Diego
Do you want to learn how to make a difference in college STEM education? Apply by 4/5/2026
Are you curious about how college students learn STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) and experience STEM classes? Do you want to know whether we can change STEM classes to be inclusive of students with diverse backgrounds and experiences? Do you desire research experience? If so, VERSA may be a good summer research program for you.
VERSA is a 9-week hybrid summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program in discipline-based education research (DBER). This program is funded by the National Science Foundation. In VERSA, you will do STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education research with one of our faculty mentors. The goal of our program is to engage in the study and transformation of college STEM education through education research that is grounded in various STEM disciplines, including anthropology, biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, and psychology. We hope that you will not only gain research experience but also learn critical thinking and presentation skills and come to feel that you are part of the scientific community.
Dates:
In summer 2026, from Wednesday, June 17 to Sunday, August 16 (9 weeks total).
Location:
The first full week (Monday, June 22- Friday, June 26) and the last week (Tuesday, August 11-Friday, August 14) are in-person at UC San Diego, one of the top research universities in the U.S., located minutes from the beach in La Jolla, California.
The rest of the program will be virtual, which means that you can participate while at home.
All domestic travel to and from San Diego will be paid for.