Students participate in research projects across various subjects in STEM, including chemistry, biology, computational modeling, computer science, and much more. Students publish and present their work as well in venues within and outside of ASDRP. Research in ASDRP is supervised by highly skilled scientists and engineers on the research faculty, who are clustered under one of three departments:
- Biological/Human/Life Sciences
- Chemistry/Biochemistry/Physics
- Computer Science & Engineering
These projects are not science experiments in which the results are known a priori, but rather are original research projects that expand current scientific knowledge. Students execute research projects, learn scientific reading and writing skills, write research papers on their results, undergo mock peer-review, publish their research papers in the ASDRP Communications online journal, and give poster presentations at the end-of-summer expo. Students additionally publish and present their work in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. We follow up with students from ASDRP to help place them into university research laboratories and industry internships in subsequent summers.
The majority of applicants come from the Bay Area; though there are those who apply from other states as well.
Location(s)
- Fremont, CA
Schedule
- Spring Term: January 16 - May 30
- Summer Term: June 1 - August 30
- Autumn Term: September 1 - January 15
Cost/Compensation
- Program Cost: $0 - $1070
- ASDRP dues cover about 25% of the cost of supporting a research student, and reflect the minimum operational costs of the organization's infrastructure
Eligibility Requirements
- All high school students who are currently enrolled in or entering 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grade
Deadline
- Spring Term: January 16 - May 30
- Applications Open: Aug 15
- Priority Deadline: Nov 15
- Applications Due: Dec 30
- Summer Term:
- Applications Open: Oct 17
- Priority Deadline #1: Feb 1
- Priority Deadline #2: Mar 1
- Applications Due: Apr 15
- Autumn Term: September 1 - January 15
- Applications Open: May 1
- Priority Deadline: Jul 15
- Applications Due: Aug 15
Application or Entry Requirements
- Online application
- Personal statement
- Admissions decisions at ASDRP are made purely on the basis of application quality, and therefore, letters of recommendation are not required. However, if the applicant so chooses, a supplementary letter of recommendation may be submitted
Notifications of Decisions
- Spring Term
- First week of January
- Summer Term
- First week of May
- Autumn Term
- First week of September
Financial Aid Details
- For students who meet financial need eligibility criteria, there is no cost to attending ASDRP
- Each year, ASDRP awards several partial and full scholarships for students from underrepresented backgrounds
Other Dates to Keep in Mind
- Spring Term
- Applications Open: Aug 15
- Summer Term
- Applications Open: Oct 17
- Autumn Term
- Applications Open: May 1
Have other questions?
The Aspiring Scholars Directed Research Program is a nonprofit research & development institution that provides opportunities for high school students throughout the Bay Area, especially those who are underrepresented in STEM or who are socioeconomically disadvantaged, to conduct high-level novel scientific research. As the premier precollegiate research establishment in the Bay Area, ASDRP is committed to both producing state-of-the-art research year-round, and serving the diverse community in which we are located.
