Host a Project SEED Program
How to Host a Project SEED Program
Project SEED offers high school students from economically disadvantaged families the chance to be exposed to scientific careers by doing hands-on research in laboratories. Participating research institutions, such as colleges and universities, government research laboratories, and industry corporations, submit proposals of hands-on research projects that are supervised by a scientist/mentor for 8-10 weeks during the summer.
New students are awarded a $2,500 fellowship and students who have not entered college may return for a second summer of research and receive a $3,000 fellowship.
If your institution would like to host a SEED student, you should:
- Email Project SEED for an online Application
- Read the Program Guidelines
- Review Annual Program Schedule and Deadlines
- Identify local sources of matching funds for student stipends
- Identify a scientist-mentor
(Two students are allowed per mentor)
- Develop a hands-on, chemistry-based research project
- Contact local high school teachers to recruit students
Developing a Project
Project SEED students are given meaningful and safe, hands-on research chemistry-related projects that expose them to working in a laboratory as a scientist. Projects proposals are submitted by mentors and reviewed by the ACS Project SEED Committee.
Types of Projects
- Design of New Polymers Microwave-Assisted Reactions
- FTIR of Polypeptides Molecular Orbitals in Organic Molecules
- Ion Chromatography Research Nitration Reactions of Cinnamic Acid
- Isocyanide Monolayers on Gold Organic Fiber-Optic Coatings
- Laser Studies of Blue Emitting Polymer Engineering
- Semiconductors Rapid Enzyme Tests
- Making Recombinant Genes Synthesis of Alcohols
- Metal Binding in Biological Systems Veterinary Vaccine Research
- Microbiology in Cosmetics
Project SEED Outcomes
In 1996, an evaluation was conducted with the purpose of providing an analysis of the impact of Project SEED on their first 25 years of existence. The results of the surveys showed that nearly 70% of the surveyed students majored in science related fields.
|13%||obtained M.S. degrees|
|7%||obtained a Ph.D.|
|9%||recieved other degrees|
Since 1968 Project SEED has helped nearly 10,300 economically disadvantaged students, many of whom were the first in their family to attend college. In 2016, of the 414 students that participated, 406 students reported on the impact of the program.