Thank you for visiting the UC Davis Young Scholars Program
website. Please take a moment to share your experience by
completing a short
survey.
For almost 60 years YSP has brought high achieving high
school students to campus to introduce them to careers in
scientific research. This would not be possible without the
guidance and support YSP participants get from their UC Davis
research mentors.
Program Details
The six-week program runs from late June to early August. Exact
program dates for the coming year can be found on the “About” tab
on this website. During the first two weeks, students attend a
morning lecture series and work in their labs in the afternoons.
During the final four weeks, each student works full time in the
lab. At the end of the program, students present their research
findings in an open symposium.
Interested in Hosting a Participant?
The goal of the research placement is to immerse students in a
research project. As a research mentor you would work with the
student in your lab. In addition to mentoring students through
the research project we also ask that you help them as they write
their final paper and develop their research
presentation. We can offer $500 in research support
funds. If you are interested in working with
us please email Director Megan Bettis at
mmckenzie@ucdavis.edu for sign-up links.
If you are unable to participate in UCD-YSP this summer but know
a researcher or new faculty member who may be interested, please
forward this email or reply with their contact information. You
are our greatest asset in recruiting new faculty mentors and the
opportunities you provide allows us to offer a high quality
program for our participants.
Support For Research Mentors
Prior to the start of the program, we will provide you with
a short virtual training on how to work with high school
students most effectively. During the program, your student’s YSP
counselor will check in with you and be available to contact if
any questions or concerns arise.
University Policies for Working with Minors
In a continuing effort to meet university policy expectations
(http://manuals.ucdavis.edu/PPM/290/290-32.pdf)
we are required to fingerprint any adult who supervises a high
school student in their lab. If this is your first experience
with us, we will work with you to insure that this process causes
the least amount of disruption to your busy schedule. If you’ve
worked with us previously, you will likely not need to be
fingerprinted again. All of the costs of the fingerprinting will
be covered by UCD-YSP. Please do not let this be a deterrent to
your participation. Fingerprinting has become a regular
expectation in any program where adults work closely with minors.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact
the Program Director, Megan McKenzie Bettis at
mmckenzie@ucdavis.edu.
If you would like more information about the program, please feel
free to contact Megan Bettis, look through the rest of this
website, or follow YSP on social media.
Facebook: UC
Davis Young Scholars Program
Intstagram: @ucdavisysp