Do you want to learn how to make a difference in college STEM education?

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 2025, Wednesday, June 18 to Wednesday, August 15 (9 weeks total). 

Location: 

• The first full week (Monday, June 23- Friday, June 27) and the last full week (Monday, August 11-Friday, August 15) 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.

Program Activities:

• The first half-week will be a virtual orientation to VERSA and to your research project.

• The next full week will be an intensive "Theory to Practice" STEM Education Bootcamp, where you will learn the basics behind how people learn and how we conduct DBER. You will also meet your mentors and fellow VERSA students and participate in fun social activities and outings.

• In weeks 2-8, you will conduct DBER with your mentor. This included structured co-working time with your VERSA colleagues. You will also participate in professional development activities such as journal clubs, guest research seminars, and training in professional and academic skills as well as virtual social activities.

• Then, you will again travel to UC San Diego to showcase your research at UCSD's Summer Research Conference and celebrate your achievements.

• The final last week will involve writing up your project results in the format of a scientific paper. 

Applications for Summer 2025 are now closed. Thank you for your interest in VERSA!

With many thanks to: