The Earth and Space Research – Summer Institute (ESR-SI)
is a four-week summer research experience in which students engage in mentored research projects alongside professional scientists in an authentic research setting. Students will work towards tangible, externally-visible outcomes (e.g., educational blog posts, presentations at regional and national conferences, peer-reviewed publications.) ESR is a Seattle-based research and education non-profit dedicated to improving the understanding of the Earth System for the benefit of society.
The projects this year will be: 1) Coastal Greenland, and 2) Coastal Antarctica. Students will be mentored by Dr. Taryn Black (University of Maryland, ESR Affiliate) and Dr. Michael Town (ESR Research Scientist). Students will be exposed to a mixture of state-of-the-art data analysis techniques (Python, Pandas, Xarray, and more), satellite data (e.g. ICESat-2, LANDSAT-9), other ice and climate data products. They will interact with other professional scientists at ESR and the University of Washington.
Who Should Apply: This experience is open to all rising Sophomore, Junior, and Senior high school students. Successful applicants are responsible, motivated students in good academic standing at their current institution. They will have demonstrated facility with data analysis (e.g., managing, plotting, and summarizing data) in Excel or Python.
How to apply: Interested students should apply by filling out the application google form by 18 April 2025. Acceptance letters will be sent by 2 May 2025. Payment for the experience will be required for enrollment upon acceptance. The application process asks for a few short-essay questions and two adults to act as academic references. The academic references will only be asked to answer brief questions via a 10-minute phone call or a short email.
This course will be offered in-person for Summer 2025 at the ESR Offices in the University District of Seattle. Online attendance is possible in extenuating circumstances. The course will move online in the case of COVID-related shutdowns.