The Welch Summer Scholar Program is a five-week scientific research program for high school juniors and seniors that enables admitted students to undertake real, university-level research in a working lab at a top-tier Texas university. The program takes place at five sites each summer: the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at Arlington, the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Houston, and Texas Tech University. Admitted students are assigned to a site at the time of acceptance by our selection committee. Visit our "Who We Are" page to learn more about our Site Directors.
Participating students can expect to spend the majority of each day performing research activities in their assigned lab under the supervision and guidance of an advanced graduate student or post-doctoral associate in the lab in addition to interacting with the faculty mentor. While hands-on research is the primary focus of our program, students will also participate in other activities each week, including lectures, workshops, facility tours, group meetings, site visits, and fun excursion. Students are expected to attend all activities and to remain in residence at their respective site for the entirety of the program.
To successfully complete the program, students must complete several final deliverables. These include a research paper covering the scientific research undertaken during the course of the program, a final presentation on the same topic, and/or a poster and participation in a poster session. Students will receive guidance on the production of these items from WSSP staff at each site.