The Earth and Space Research –Summer Institute (ESR-SI) is a four-week summer research experience where high school students in the Seattle area engage in mentored research projects in the geosciences with tangible, externally-visible outcomes (e.g., educational blog posts, presentations at regional and national conferences, peer-reviewed publications).

ESR-SI 2024 will be focused on three research topics:

  • Antarctic Cryosphere and Climate
  • The Weather and Climate of Mount Baker
  • Evaluation of Solar Reflectance Geoengineering Interventions

Students will be mentored in a supportive and inclusive learning environment at ESR by Dr. Michael Town. They will be exposed to a mixture of state-of-the-art data analysis (Python, Pandas, and Google Earth Engine), satellite data (e.g. Sentinel-2, LANDSAT-8), other weather and climate data products (e.g. ERA5). The students will get the opportunity to interact with and learn from other professional scientists at ESR and the University of Washington. Interested students will also participate in a day of field work in the Mt. Baker National Recreation Area.

ESR- Summer Institute  2024

24 June 2024 – 19 July 2024    |   M-F from 9 am – 1:30 pm

Tuition – $2250

** Please note: there will be no classes on July 4th or 5th

The Program, developed by the instructor, Dr. Michael Town, was piloted in 2018 and since then has been growing in both program content and its student cohort. Want to know more? Follow the links below:

Storytelling in the Sciences by Michael Town

About the Instructor