About

The Garcia Research Scholar Program at Stony Brook University is a seven-week residential research program focused on polymer science, nanotechnology, and materials engineering. Funded in part by the National Science Foundation, Garcia is unusual in its narrow but deep disciplinary focus and in the scale of its lab resources. Tuition is about $6,000, but scholarships and stipends are available for some participants, making it more accessible than comparable paid programs.

Each summer Garcia admits 50–120 students from a competitive applicant pool of US and international students, likely accepting between 10% - 15%. Admission requires transcripts, recommendations, and essays demonstrating research interest. Accepted students are matched with faculty mentors at Stony Brook’s Polymer Research Institute, where project placement depends both on applicant strength and mentor needs.

Over seven weeks, students join ongoing research projects in areas such as biomaterials, nanocomposites, microelectronics, and tissue engineering. Participants learn lab techniques, literature review, and experimental design while contributing to faculty-led research. The program emphasizes authentic scientific output: students draft research papers and present their findings in a campus-wide symposium. Housing in Stony Brook dorms and organized seminars provide a college-style residential experience.

Unlike some elite research programs, Garcia is not free, but it is considered a very strong value given its seven-week length and intensive laboratory immersion. Garcia alumni have an unusually strong track record of co-authoring peer-reviewed publications and presenting at major science competitions such as Regeneron STS and ISEF. In fact, Garcia is one of only a handful of research programs to actively encourage its high-school students to publish in scientific journals and even pursue patents. Stony Brook faculty members offer substantial research guidance to the students they mentor—one of the program’s most valuable aspects. Unsurprisingly, Garcia is universally recognized by Ivy-plus admissions offices as a serious and even unique lab program with a specialized focus. For students interested in materials science or engineering specifically, Garcia offers a depth unmatched by more generalist research programs. For the right type of student, this makes it nearly irresistible.