Evaluating the Impact of the Summer Science Program
Understanding the impact of the Summer Science Program on student outcomes
Transformative. Life-changing. Unforgettable. These are the words alumni use to describe their time in the Summer Science Program. Since 1959, the Summer Science Program has welcomed curious high school students each summer to one of the oldest hands-on science programs in the country. Students work on real research projects in areas like astrophysics, biochemistry, bacterial genomics, cell biology, and synthetic chemistry.
SSP International (SSPI) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help students learn, do, and feel like they belong in science. SSPI runs the Summer Science Program. Every year, thousands of talented students apply, but there are only a limited number of spots available. This means many amazing students do not get in, even though they may be highly qualified.
SSPI wants to understand what makes the Summer Science Program so special. Alumni often talk about the Summer Science Program as “transformative” and “life-changing”. As scientists, we want to investigate this. What is the “secret sauce” that makes this program stand out? So far, there have been no comprehensive studies on science research programs like the Summer Science Program to see how they affect high school students. Most organizations do not have the resources to measure their program’s impact or to share best practices.
SSPI is committed to the quality and integrity of our programs. We’re also committed to being accountable as a leader in STEM education. Accordingly, we are investing in an evaluation to find out how the Summer Science Program helps students and how it can improve. This evaluation must follow scientific and ethical standards. Even though we cannot admit every qualified student, we hope many will still help us with this important work.
Questions?
If you have a question that is not addressed below or in the FAQ, you can contact SSPI at [email protected].
What the evaluation study means for 2026 applications to the Summer Science Program
If students choose not to join the study, they will not be considered for admission to the Summer Science Program.
Applicants must consent to participate in the evaluation study before they can be eligible for the 2026 Summer Science Program. We want to make this clear now so applicants and their families do not spend time on the application if they do not want to participate in the study. Students who do not want to take part in the evaluation study will not be included in the Summer Science Program or the waitlist and will not get more updates from SSPI.
The application review process will follow these steps:
- Apply: Students will follow the same application guidelines that SSPI has listed on the website and on application materials. The evaluation study does not affect what students will need to include in their application.
- Review: Complete applications will go through SSPI’s traditional review process. The review team will identify students who have the most to gain from and contribute to the Summer Science Program. Selected applications will be moved on to the next phase.
- Parent Permission: Students who advance from the review process will need parental permission to participate in the evaluation study. Parents will receive a permission form and must agree to allow their student to participate in the evaluation study. This is required to be considered for Summer Science Program participation.
- Lottery Selection: Students who have consented and have parental permission to participate in the study will be entered into a lottery. They will either receive an invitation to participate in the program or be placed on a waitlist. The waitlist group is important for the study because it helps us compare students who attend the program with those who do not. Some students on the waitlist may get into the program if spots become available.
FAQs
By “evaluation study,” we mean professional-grade research that produces high-quality data. We want this study to have the same level of scientific rigor that we teach our participants in the program. The goal is to produce the most useful and accurate results possible. The evaluation study will not affect the program’s curriculum, operations, or summer experience.
That’s why we are working with Abt Global to conduct the research, since this is their area of expertise. The Abt Global Institutional Review Board (IRB) is overseeing this evaluation study to make sure it is conducted responsibly and ethically.
Students who have been determined to have the most to gain from and contribute to the program and who agree to join the study will receive a 60-minute online survey in April 2026. This survey will focus on scientific thinking and social and emotional skills. At the end of the summer, both program participants and waitlist students will take the same survey again to see what has changed.
Joining the study is completely your choice. However, it is a condition of the program that students and parents must consent to participate in the evaluation study to be considered for a chance to get into the program via lottery.
Students can withdraw at any time after the study starts without any penalty or loss of benefits. And will still be allowed to stay in the Summer Science Program. If you want to leave the study, please email the SSPI study team at [email protected].
SSP International (SSPI) runs a summer residential science research program for high school students on several college campuses. We want to understand how the Summer Science program affects students’ scientific thinking abilities and their social and emotional skills.
Being part of this study will not give your student a direct benefit, but their participation will help us understand the impact of the Summer Science Program and make future programs better.
There is minimal risk involved with this evaluation study. At most, the survey questions should only be as uncomfortable as regular school tests.
One possible risk is loss of privacy if there is a break in data security. To avoid this, security protocols and secure platforms will be used (for more details, see the Survey and Data section).
Students will be paid for the time it takes to complete the pre- and post-program surveys.
Participation in the evaluation study will not affect eligibility or acceptance for other SSPI programs
Participation in the evaluation study will occur over the same period as the Summer Science Program. Students in the waitlist group will be asked to complete a survey at the beginning and the end of the summer.
The survey asks questions about scientific thinking and social and emotional skills.
Survey answers will be collected. Other data will include:
-Student writing
-Application information, including demographic information
-Program administrative data
-Student-created work during the program
Surveys will be conducted on a secure website (Qualtrics.com or Embark) and submitted answers will be kept private. Student work and writing will be collected through the secure learning management system, Canvas. All data will be stored on encrypted, password-protected computers that only the researchers can access. When we share results, we will only use group summaries, not individual answers.
No, your student will need to put their name on the survey so we can match their answers before and after the program. After the surveys are matched, researchers will remove all names and replace them with a code number for analysis. Publicized results will be shared as aggregate data, not individual answers.
Evaluation study results may be used in scientific presentations, reports, or publications. SSPI may also publish information about the study findings in annual reports, on the website, or other channels. Only group summaries (like averages or percentages) will be shared, never individual answers or names.
No, the data will be made anonymous and reported only as group results, not individual answers.
Abt Global, a research and evaluation firm, has been chosen to conduct the evaluation. SSPI is sponsoring this evaluation study and working closely with Abt Global to run the study. As the host of the Summer Science Program, SSPI runs the program and provides the program curriculum. Abt Global’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) is the ethics committee that makes sure the study is done responsibly and ethically. The university campus partners provide the locations for SSPI to host the program.
Abt Global was chosen as our research partner to run this evaluation study. Abt Global is a mission-driven consulting and research firm that partners with governments, organizations, and communities around the world to study and solve complex social, economic, health, environmental, and policy challenges.
For students who have the most to gain from and contribute to the program, SSPI will contact parents to ask for permission. Parents can choose whether to give consent for their student to participate in the study. After parents agree, SSPI will ask the student for their assent. Consent from both parents and students is required for applicants to be added to the pool for the lottery selection that determines a student’s spot in the Summer Science Program or their placement in the waitlist group.
If you have questions or concerns about the study, please contact SSPI at [email protected].
