Iowa Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP)

Difficulty

4 4/5

Target Students Students admitted to Iowa’s selective summer research/training program for high school students.

Event Time Every summer, 5.5 weeks

Registration Period closes in February

Iowa Secondary Student Training Program (SSTP) is a summer research program hosted by the :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1} that provides high school students with authentic university-level research experience in laboratory settings.

Program Structure and Research Areas
- Approximately 5–7 week full-time summer research program
- Students are placed in university labs or research groups under the guidance of faculty or research staff
- Research areas include biomedical and life sciences, chemistry and materials science, engineering and computer science, psychology and social sciences, and medicine and public health
- Competitive admissions process requiring transcripts, essays, and recommendations, with emphasis on research potential and academic readiness

Program Activities
- Participate in real research projects rather than classroom learning
- Engage in experimental design, data collection, and analysis
- Complete a final research report and present findings via poster or oral presentation

Academic Value
A standard university-level research training program that provides full exposure to the research process and serves as an important entry point into academic research pathways.

Impact on College Applications
Valuable for STEM applicants, especially when accompanied by strong research output or mentor evaluation. It strengthens applications to selective universities, but is generally less prestigious than elite programs such as RSI, SIMR, or SSP.

Visit Website