Explore Summer helps you find programs based on what actually matters to you: interests, location, dates, grade, budget, and more.
The programs below match the starting criteria All these programs match the starting criteria Ecology, in the US, and grades 6–12.Refine these results further (e.g. by dates, length, budget, etc.) or start a different search.
Try “in California only,” “under $3,000,” or “in July”Try “in California only,” or “under $3,000”
Science & STEMWilderness & AdventureApplication
Northeastern Accelerate Pre-College: Wildfire Ecology in a Changing Climate
Northeastern University
Dates:
Jun 20 – Jul 2, 2027
Length:
2 weeks (Sun–Fri)
Cost:
$6,995
Location:
Oakland, CA (Northeastern University Oakland)
Grades:
Rising juniors and seniors (completed grades 10–11)
Format:
Residential
Deadline:
Priority Jan 15, 2027 · Regular Feb 28, 2027 · Late Mar 15, 2027
Students study fire ecology and how climate change is altering California's fire regimes through workshops, team projects and field trips to California wildlands, learning to turn science into policy.
COSMOS UCLA · Cluster 2: Ecosystem Responses to Climate from Plants to Planet
University of California COSMOS (UCLA)
Dates:
Jul 5–31, 2027
Length:
4 weeks
Cost:
$5,518 (2026 pricing; housing, meals and field trips)
Location:
Los Angeles, CA (UCLA campus)
Grades:
Rising 9th–12th graders attending high school in California (completed grades 8–11)
Format:
Residential
Deadline:
Due Feb 5, 2027
How plants and ecosystems shape carbon, water and climate, using plant physiology lab techniques, urban ecology methods and satellite data, with group projects ending in a poster, presentation and game. Possible field trips include the Huntington and a UC nature reserve.
Students entering 10th, 11th or 12th grade (completed grades 9–11)
Format:
Residential
A week of environmental field study around Tampa Bay: collecting research data, kayaking along barrier islands and through mangroves, coastal resiliency projects on campus, and learning to communicate environmental science.
Current 9th–12th graders (at least 14; graduating seniors welcome)
Format:
Residential
A 12-day Duke Pre-College course where high school students study oceans, coasts and the organisms that live there, along with threats to marine ecosystems and conservation strategies, working with Duke Ph.D. students and faculty in a mix of lectures and hands-on projects.
A two-week residential immersion in marine ecology, environmental science and conservation on San Juan Island, with field studies of eelgrass, salmon, orcas and endangered species alongside local researchers and advocates, a two-day kayak expedition, and a final take-home conservation project pitched to mentors and families.
High school students in 10th or 11th grade (exceptional 9th graders case by case) with a weighted GPA of 3.80+
Format:
Commuter / Residential
UC Santa Barbara pre-college research programs on the Santa Barbara campus. A seven-week research program pairing each student with a UC Santa Barbara mentor (graduate student, postdoc or faculty) on a university-level research project chosen from many disciplines, beginning with a short virtual component and including the GRIT talks lecture series. Students choose a project from courses across anthropology, earth science, geography, music, biochemistry, ecology, global studies, neuroscience, biology, economics, history, physics, chemistry, education, marine biology, psychology, Chicana and Chicano studies, engineering, mathematics, sociology, computer science, environmental policy, media, arts and tech, and statistics.
