Host a Project SEED Program

You can support the future of chemistry by giving economically disadvantaged high school students an opportunity to do hands-on research in your lab. Find out more about how you can open doors through Project SEED.

How to Host a Project SEED program

Project SEED offers high school students the chance to be exposed to scientific careers. Participating research institutions, such as colleges and universities, government research laboratories, and industry corporations, develop hands-on research projects that are supervised by a scientist/mentor for 8-10 weeks during the summer.

New students are awarded a $2,500 fellowship and students who have not entered college may return for a second summer of research and receive a $3,000 award.

If your institution would like to host a SEED student, you should:

• Contact the ACS Project SEED office at projectseed@acs.org for a participation packet
• Identify local sources of matching funds for student stipends/fellowships
• Identify a scientist (mentor) to supervise the student. Two students are allowed per mentor
• Develop a hands-on, chemistry-based research project on which a student can work during the summer
• Contact local high school teachers to recruit students

See guidelines for students, mentors and coordinators

Developing a Project

Project SEED students are given meaningful, hands-on research projects that expose them to working in a laboratory as a scientist. Projects are suggested by mentors and reviewed by an ACS committee to make sure they are exciting, meaningful, and doable by a high school student.

Many projects involve learning about making new compounds and testing them, using instruments, and analyzing data. Students have done well enough to present posters at scientific meetings, and a few students have become co-authors of scientific papers! Recent projects include:

Types of Projects

“My curiosity and love for chemistry has increased since I got to interact with real chemists… I feel that I have been exposed to my future.”

• Design of New Polymers Microwave-Assisted Reactions
• FTIR of Polypeptides Molecular Orbitals in Organic Molecules
• Ion Chromatography Research Nitration Reactions of Cinnamic Acid
• Isocyanide Monolayers on Gold Organic Fiber-Optic Coatings
• Laser Studies of Blue Emitting Polymer Engineering
• Semiconductors Rapid Enzyme Tests
• Making Recombinant Genes Synthesis of Alcohols
• Metal Binding in Biological Systems Veterinary Vaccine Research
• Microbiology in Cosmetics