Will SIP have COVID-19 safety protocols in 2023?
The Science Internship Program team is committed to the health and safety of our interns, mentors, faculty, and staff. The well-being of those affiliated with our program is our highest priority. As such, we are currently planning to implement COVID-19 safety protocols in accordance with guidance we are receiving from UC Santa Cruz (which follows County of Santa Cruz, State of California and CDC guidelines). All those who will be participating in the on-campus program in 2023 will have to provide proof of full COVID-19 vaccination before arriving to campus. On arrival, interns must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within the previous 48 hours before their arrival. The Program will implement periodic testing protocols over the course of the summer. Interns in residence who test positive must leave campus within 24 hours of a positive test result and may not return until they test negative. Please take these policies into consideration when determining whether to participate in-person on campus or 100% remotely. As with everything related to the COVID-19 situation, these policies may evolve over the coming months leading up to the summer program.
How does the online program differ from previous in-person years?
During a typical year, most SIP interns spend the majority of their internship time at the UCSC campus, working in the labs/workspaces of their mentors. Some interns commute daily, and others make use of our on-campus housing option. During a fully online program, however, we are unable to host students on campus in any capacity. Instead, research projects are adapted so interns can work on them virtually from anywhere with a WiFi connection. Interns will still be working in groups with their mentors, and are expected to stay in contact with their mentors and fellow interns throughout each week of the program. While working from home is a different experience from working directly in the lab, interns will be able to engage in open-ended problem solving and learn a variety of important skills as they work on their research projects.
What is the schedule like for an intern during the online program?
Typically, an internship with SIP consists of 6-hour work days (9AM-4 PM PDT), 5 days a week (Monday-Friday), for a minimum of 6 of the 8 active research weeks. (Ideally, interns will be able to work for 8–10 weeks, but we understand that this may not be possible for all interns.) One benefit of the online program is that mentors can be flexible about when meetings take place and there can be some level of self-directed management of work time for interns. It should be emphasized that interns must allocate the time and hours necessary to fully commit to their summer research and to be present for all research group meetings. Throughout the program, mentors are expected to spend 12–15 hours per week actively mentoring their interns, which they will do through video conferencing and other online platforms such as Zoom, Slack, Google Hangouts, Google Drive, email, etc. If possible, all mentor/intern meetings should be scheduled between 9:00AM and 4:00PM PDT, but we understand this may not always be possible (especially for interns in different time zones) and will allow for meetings to occur until 8:00PM PDT at the latest if absolutely necessary. There are commonly speakers and workshops during the 6 hour internship day, so not every hour of the program is spent actively doing research.
What if an intern doesn’t have the equipment they need for their project at home?
SIP works hard to provide each intern with everything they need to participate in the program successfully. During the Research Preparation Weeks (Weeks 1 and 2 of the program), mentors will reach out to their interns to introduce themselves and discuss any actions interns will need to take to prepare for their projects. This includes discussing what equipment/materials are required for each project. If an intern does not have the necessary equipment to work on their project, the intern and/or their mentor should let the SIP staff know immediately so we can find a solution before the main segment of the program begins. In general, the only thing an intern needs to participate in SIP is a laptop and internet access.
How does the cost of the remote program compare to the cost of the in-person program?
The tuition (program fee) for the online version of SIP is the same as for the in-person version. The program fees are used to pay for the SIP mentors’ time, to support their research, and to pay for staff time to ensure that we can offer a vibrant and engaging summer program. This is true whether SIP is operating remotely or in person.
Naturally, there are no housing, meals, and transportation costs associated with the online version of the program.
Is the online program as enriching as the in-person program?
While some aspects of the program have changed significantly in the transition from in-person to online, the SIP team is working very hard to provide an equally enriching experience. Though we cannot allow interns on campus to work directly in their mentors’ labs or experience dorm living, operating remotely has allowed us to expand our services and be much more flexible with how interns participate in the program. Remote operations have allowed us to serve a much wider array of students than we have in previous years as students from all over the world can now participate in our program without having to leave their homes.
We cannot claim that the online program is exactly the same as the in-person program, but we can confirm that it is very successful in providing real-life research experience to high school students, as well as a vibrant network of researchers and academics to learn from during the summer and onward. The feedback we have received from SIP 2020 and SIP 2021 interns, parents, and mentors was overwhelmingly positive, and everything we have learned is being incorporated into our plans for SIP 2022.