Beyond scientific research and formal graduate education, Scripps Research believes in the power of outreach programs to inspire, educate and equip future generations of scientists. This effort also extends to community outreach initiatives, designed to engage and inform people of all ages and backgrounds with current information about scientific topics relevant to their lives and the powerful potential of Scripps Research’s discoveries to transform human health.

K-12 Programs

K-12 Programs

SMILE K-8 Outreach Program

Geared toward underserved K-8 students, Scripps Research’s Scientists Making Impacts in Learning Environments (SMILE) Program is an innovative education initiative aimed at fostering interest and preparedness in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields among elementary and middle school students in the greater San Diego region.

For 2025, the SMILE program held a two-day teacher summit with middle and high school science teachers from local schools. Participating teachers heard presentations from Scripps Research scientists, then worked with the researchers to develop lesson plans for their classrooms. Following the summit this fall, Scripps Research scientists are visiting more than a dozen classrooms to present the science lessons developed at the summit.

REACH High School Program

As described in the profile of Mike Constantinides, REsearch Awareness for Community High schools (REACH) is a three-part, multiweek program conceived of and run by Constantinides that seeks to spark interest in scientific research among high school students at schools located in underserved communities throughout San Diego. REACH includes classroom visits from Scripps Research graduate students and postdocs, a chance for dozens of students to visit our campus and tour Scripps Research labs at the annual Science Saturday, and an opportunity for several of these students to spend the summer doing research in the labs as part of a seven-week paid internship.

Undergraduate Programs

Summer Research Internship Programs

Each summer, college students from across the country are selected to participate in Scripps Research’s 10-week paid Summer Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) Program, which lets students experience research with and be mentored by our world-renowned faculty. Similarly, the Scripps Research Translational Institute (SRTI) offers an internship program that pairs highly motivated high school, undergraduate and professional students with members of SRTI’s multidisciplinary team of scientists, including internationally renowned investigators in the areas of genomics, computational biology and mobile health research. Participants from both programs design and present research posters that encapsulate their summer experience at the annual Intern Symposium, attended by the entire Scripps Research community.

SPAM Program

Summer internships are an impactful way for undergraduates to gain hands-on laboratory skills but finding and applying for one can be daunting. For this reason, Scripps Research graduate students and postdocs created the Summer Program Application Mentorship (SPAM) Program to empower undergrads with the knowledge and confidence to put together a competitive application. SPAM participants are matched with a Scripps Research scientist who works with them during this five-month, one-on-one mentorship program to help edit personal statements, identify relevant summer programs, give advice on how to request letters of recommendation and answer questions about careers in chemistry or biology.

the front row event at scripps research

Community Outreach

From smaller gatherings that include hands-on activities after our monthly public lectures, to larger engagements open to a broad audience, Scripps Research scientists are connecting with our local community in new and exciting ways.

Science in Action

Science in Action is a new initiative that brings visitors to our monthly Front Row lectures (frontrow.scripps.edu) closer to the research than ever before. After each talk, visitors can meet the graduate students, postdocs and other scientists behind the research in the lab of that evening’s faculty presenter and engage with the science in compelling ways. Whether it’s open microscopes, laboratory tours or a chance to discuss hot topics in science with experts working on the front lines, Science in Action brings a fresh perspective to our research.

Scripps Research Discovery Day

Scripps Research Discovery Day at the Fleet Science Center is a new public outreach event that was held in November 2024 at San Diego’s premier science museum. More than 50 Scripps Research graduate students and postdocs designed and presented 12 hands-on activities and science demonstrations to the more than 1,000 visitors to the Science Center’s galleries. Visitors explored many exciting biomedical research topics and had a chance to interact with up-and-coming Scripps Research scientists who shared their passion and enthusiasm for the cutting-edge research projects they’re pursuing.