[Health_scholars] Virtual Education Research in STEM Academy @ UCSD - DEADLINE: April 5th

[Noreen Balos]

Virtual Education Research in STEM Academy<https://versa.ucsd.edu/>

UCSD Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship

Program Dates: 6/17/2026 - 8/14/2026

Application Deadline: 4/5/2026
To learn more or apply, visit: https://versa.ucsd.edu/




DESCRIPTION
Do you want to learn how to make a difference in STEM Education? The VERSA (Virtual Education Research in STEM Academy) @ University of California, San Diego program<https://versa.ucsd.edu/> is looking for undergraduate students who want to conduct research on STEM education at the college level this summer. Our faculty mentors study teaching and learning in a variety of STEM disciplines, including chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering.

It is a hybrid program: the first and last weeks are in person, while the middle weeks are virtual- meaning you can do research from home! The program is 9 weeks. Each VERSA<https://versa.ucsd.edu/> Fellow will receive a $5,400 stipend and an additional $1,255 allowance for housing and food.



VERSA<https://versa.ucsd.edu/> is a 9-week NSF-funded Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) in discipline-based education research (DBER). You'll work directly with a faculty mentor to study and transform how college STEM is taught, no prior research experience required.


HIGHLIGHTS

  *   $600/week stipend ($5,400 total)
  *   $1,255 housing and food allowance
  *   Free on-campus housing + travel covered during in-person weeks
  *   First and last week in-person at UC San Diego — the rest is virtual (work from home!)
  *   Present your research at the UCSD Summer Research Conference
  *   Professional development: journal clubs, guest seminars, and academic skill-building


PROGRAM DATES

  *   June 17 – August 16, 2026
  *   In-person weeks: June 22–26 and August 11–14 at UC San Diego, La Jolla, CA



WHO CAN APPLY?

  *   Current undergrad at any 2- or 4-year institution
  *   U.S. citizen or permanent resident, age 18+
  *   Background in any STEM field or education/social science
  *   Good academic standing
  *   Available full-time (Mon–Fri, ~9am–5pm) during the program
  *   Community college students and those with no research experience are strongly encouraged to apply



Questions? CONTACT:

Owens, Melinda

Associate Teaching Professor
mtowens at ucsd.edu<mailto:mtowens at ucsd.edu>



Bussey, Thom

Teaching Professor
tbussey at ucsd.edu<mailto:tbussey at ucsd.edu>




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.ucmerced.edu/pipermail/health_scholars/attachments/20260328/b019a9d3/attachment-0001.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: VERSA UCSD App Deadline April 5th.png
Type: image/png
Size: 1094278 bytes
Desc: VERSA UCSD App Deadline April 5th.png
URL: <http://lists.ucmerced.edu/pipermail/health_scholars/attachments/20260328/b019a9d3/attachment-0003.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: VERSA UCSD Overview.png
Type: image/png
Size: 813928 bytes
Desc: VERSA UCSD Overview.png
URL: <http://lists.ucmerced.edu/pipermail/health_scholars/attachments/20260328/b019a9d3/attachment-0004.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: VERSA UCSD Overview.png
Type: image/png
Size: 147375 bytes
Desc: VERSA UCSD Overview.png
URL: <http://lists.ucmerced.edu/pipermail/health_scholars/attachments/20260328/b019a9d3/attachment-0005.png>