UCSB-Smithsonian Scholars Program

A group of students standing on a grassy mountaintop that overlooks trees and a skyline

The UCSB-Smithsonian Scholars Program is a collaboration between the University of California. Santa Barbara and the Smithsonian Institution. This program offers underrepresented undergraduate students from UCSB and local community colleges a full year of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities and opportunities, including guest speakers, internships, a four-day workshop on Santa Cruz Island and a two-week travel program to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., and Virginia.

Students can apply for internships on Smithsonian research projects, where they assist with data collection and receive training in field and laboratory methods. The UCSB-Smithsonian Scholars Program conducts pre- and post-assessments to evaluate how participation influences academic and workforce participation outcomes.