GOLD2022

SUMMER SCIENCE PROGRAM INC

The educational experience of a lifetime ... since 1959.

aka SSP   |   Cary, NC   |  http://www.summerscience.org/

Mission

SSP's Values: Values: Collaboration, Community, Exploration, Inclusiveness, Integrity Mission: Identify bright and exceptionally motivated teenagers with untapped potential and a strong interest in science. Challenge them with rigorous, authentic, interdisciplinary research. Accelerate their intellectual and social development through an immersive, transformative experience. Create an inclusive culture based on collaboration. Build a supportive, diverse, life-long community of scientists and leaders. Vision: Tomorrow’s innovators are inspired to work together to advance knowledge and solve the world’s most complex problems.

Ruling year info

1999

Executive Director

Richard Bowdon

Main address

108 Whiteberry Dr

Cary, NC 27519 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

94-3341965

NTEE code info

Educational Services and Schools - Other (B90)

Science, General (includes Interdisciplinary Scientific Activities) (U20)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2020, 2019 and 2018.
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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Today’s most promising high school students will be tomorrow’s scientists and engineers, doctors and entrepreneurs – the people who invent the future – but only if they realize their potential. These talented and motivated teens have unique needs not often met in their schools: for role models, intellectual challenge, true peers, and the confidence to dream bigger dreams.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

The Summer Science Program in Astrophysics

After each observing run, the team locates the asteroid’s faint dot among the background stars, then precisely measures its position relative to surrounding stars. Once they have at least three or four observations taken on different nights, they write software in Python to calculate the asteroid’s position and velocity vectors, then transform them into the six orbital elements that characterize the asteroid’s orbital ellipse, using numerical differentiation.
Host campuses: Univ. of Colorado Boulder, New Mexico Tech, Univ. of North Carolina Chapel Hill

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Students

Participants will learn the fundamentals of enzyme structure, function, and evolution. Each team of three will combine bench experiments and computer tools to characterize a novel member of an enzyme family that is implicated in crop infection by fungal pathogens. Then they will design a compound that could potentially protect crops from that specific fungus.
Host campuses: Purdue Univ., Indiana Univ.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Students

Each team of three participants use a custom chemostat to maintain constant growth of a non-disease-causing ocean microbe called Vibrio natriegens under moderate antibiotic selection pressure. The chemostat includes components for mixing and aeration of the growth media, optical monitoring of growth rate, and feedback control of antibiotic delivery to the culture. Teams will then map the genetic mutations that arise as a result of incomplete growth suppression.
Host campus: Purdue Univ.

Population(s) Served
Students
Adolescents

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

California Institute of Technology 2000

Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2009

Harvey Mudd College 2017

Videos

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

SSP's mission is to inspire exceptionally talented and motivated high school students to accelerate their intellectual and social development.

Our college-level, residential program immerses students in a challenging science curriculum with team‐based, hands‐on research to solve a central scientific problem.

Since 1959, SSP has operated programs that foster a cultural environment of excellence, collaboration, and creativity, and we push our students beyond anything they have previously experienced.

We are expanding our impact: one program 1959 - 2002, two 2003-2016, three 2017-2018, and four in 2019 (two each doing research in Astrophysics and Biochemistry). We are now developing a third research project, in Metagenomics.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Electronic surveys (by email, tablet, etc.), Suggestion box/email,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    We have begun asking for gender identity and preferred pronouns from enrolling participants, and sharing those with faculty prior to participant arrival.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    The people we serve, Our staff, Our board, Our funders, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

SUMMER SCIENCE PROGRAM INC
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

SUMMER SCIENCE PROGRAM INC

Board of directors
as of 09/14/2022
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Dr. Ron Irving

Janice Bishop

SETI Institute

Henry Lichstein

No Affiliation

Ronald Irving

University of Washington

Shannon Anderson

University of California, Davis

Edmund Bertschinger

MIT

Jenna Rickus

Purdue University

Helen Shin

QP Global Family Offices

Minosca Alcantara

NY Bridge Authority

Lauren Blum

Capital Counsel LLC

Michelle Chang

Carbon

GiHun Choi

Harvard

Michael McKay

Bain & Co.

Karl Sun

Lucid Software