California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science

Designed specifically for talented and motivated high school students, the California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS) at UC Santa Cruz is a four-week summer residential program for high school scholars with demonstrated interest and achievement in mathematics and science. Students work side-by-side with outstanding university researchers and faculty, exploring advanced topics that extend beyond the typical high school curriculum. COSMOS courses are hands-on and lab-intensive, emphasizing current research underway at UC campuses. Located on four University of California campuses (Davis, Irvine, Santa Cruz, and San Diego), the COSMOS experience is intended to encourage and motivate the most promising young minds of the new generation of prospective scientists, engineers, and mathematicians, so that they may actively participate in the business and higher educational sectors of the State of California.

2009 COSMOS Clusters at UCSC

• Cluster 1 - Cryptography & Number Theory
• Cluster 2 - Engineering the Future: Autonomous Robots & Nanotechnology
• Cluster 3 - Under the Sea: Exploring Marine Organisms and Their World
• Cluster 4 - Everday Chemistry: From Perfumes to Pollution
• Cluster 5 - The Design of Fun: From Concept to Code in Video Game Design
• Cluster 6 - Chemistry and Mathematics: From Life to Thought
• Cluster 7 - Points in Space: Astronomy & Linear Algebra
• Cluster 8 - Marine Mammals & Oceanography: From Prey to Predators
• Cluster 9 - Particle and Astrophysics: Investigations of the Minuscule to the Massive

California students completing grades eight through twelve by the summer in which they wish to participate may apply to COSMOS. Prerequisites may be required to ensure success in the course offerings. Parents are encouraged to discuss with their child his or her maturity and readiness to participate in a month-long residential program on a public research university campus. Participants are selected in the spring on the basis of their academic performance, test scores, extracurricular math and science achievements, and recommendations.

Visit the UCSC COSMOS Web site for more details and application instructions.

• View/print the 2009 COSMOS flyer in English (PDF) or Spanish (PDF)
• Read helpful hints and application FAQs (PDF)
• Download the AScILS presentation to the COSMOS Advisory Board, July 2008 (PDF)

For more information, contact:
COSMOS Program Office
(831) 459-1763