Apply to the Summer Research Program

Who Can Apply

The Summer Research Program is for students who have completed Grade 11 and are heading into Grade 12 the next school year. WISEST exists to establish diversity in STEM fields. We warmly invite applicants from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, including Indigenous, racialized, and rural students, to apply and engage in our inclusive spaces.

  • We accept applications from young women and gender-diverse students interested in science, engineering, and technology fields.
  • To advance equity in STEM, Black and Indigenous students have tailored pathways to participate in our program.
  • Students from anywhere in Alberta can apply. 
  • Out-of-province students are welcome to apply provided they meet the equivalent eligibility requirements. Please email wisest@ualberta.ca if you have questions.
  • Students must have a Canadian Social Insurance Number in order to be eligible for the program. 

How to Apply 

  1. Read the 'Application Check List' section below
  2. Speak with two teachers (science and/or math) OR one teacher (science and/or math) and a community leader (please see reference forms for more information) who agree to be your references. Provide their contact details in this .  
  3. Complete your personal response and upload it to the online application form. See below for further details about the personal response requirements. 
  4. Submit your grades to the online application form. See below for further details about what can be submitted for grades and how eligibility is calculated. 
  5. Fill in the . This will include some personal details, some questions about placement preferences, short answer questions to help our adjudicators get to know you better, and a place to upload your personal response and grades. 

Application Deadline

The deadline to apply to the Summer Research Program, including submitting all supporting documents, is 11:59 pm, MST, April 2, 2025. Applications submitted before the deadline are appreciated. 

 

Application FAQs

Virtual Information Session

Students, are you interested in learning more about the WISEST Summer Research Program and/or the application process?  WISEST is hosting a virtual information session on Thursday, March 13th from 5:30-6:30 PM. 
If you wish to attend, please register  by 5:00PM, March 12th. 
A minimum number of attendees will be required in order for this session to run. 

Application Check List 

Step 1: Speak with one of the following:
  1. Two teacher references (science and/or math)
  2. One teacher reference (science and/or math) and one supervisor or community member (someone who can speak to your work/involvement in the community)
Supervisor Examples: Manager of your part-time job, teacher sponsor of a club or sports team you're on, someone who can speak to your work ethic and how you work with others 
Community Member/Supervisor Examples: Community leaders (Ex. Elders, religious or spiritual group leadership, option class teachers, coaches)

These teachers can be your current science or math teachers or from a previous semester. 

Step 2: Fill out the Teacher/Community Reference Information

Please fill in the Teacher Reference Information Form prior to March 19, 2025, so your references have time to complete your references by the deadline. 

  • This Google Form will send information to both of your references along with the Reference Submission form for them to fill out.
  • Only 2 references will be reviewed, please do not ask more than two references.
Step 3: Ensure each teacher received the information

It is your responsibility to ensure your references receive the information. Some school districts' and work emails filter these emails so they are unable to be successfully delivered. Therefore, once you have submitted the Information form, double check with each reference that they received it. 

A personal response must be submitted to the online application form.

Step 1: Choose which format you'd like to create your personal response in.

You can choose to submit a response in

  • written essay form between 500-700 words, typed in 12-point Calibri font, or
  • through other media ie) video (.mp4) or podcast (.mp3) no longer than 3.5 minutes in length. Ensure you upload the appropriate media file, if we can’t open the file we cannot review it. These media will only be used for screening applications.
  • A piece of original art (done by you), accompanied by an  300-500 words, typed in 12-point Calibri font, addressing how the piece addresses the prompts below. 
  • Ensure you use the correct naming conventions indicated in Step 3
Step 2: Select 2-3 questions you'd like to answer in your response

What does the response need to address? We want you to show us your personality and make sure you address 2 or 3 of these themes in your response.

  1. What topic in science or math do you currently find the most interesting and why? When and how did you become aware of this topic and how have you explored it on your own since?
  2. What inspired your love of STEM? You can talk about a STEM memory, a class you have taken, a topic you’re interested in, a problem you want to solve, etc. 
  3. Please tell us what you not only hope to get out of this program, but also what you hope to bring to the program.
  4. Describe a challenge in your community that you want to solve using STEM.
  5. What does success in the program look like to you?
  6. How do your personal values align with the WISEST values?
  7. What can you do today that you did not think you could do a year ago? Please reflect on what it looked like to learn and develop this skill and if anyone helped you. How do you encourage yourself when you are trying something new?
Step 3: Add a title/file name 

File naming convention:  

  • FirstInitial_LastInitial_schoolname_personalresponse_SRP2025
    Ex. D_J_EdmontonHigh_personalresponse_SRP2025

Please do not include your name in the essay title, media title, or file name to ensure anonymity within the reviewing process. 

Step 1: Ensure you meet the minimum grade requirement or, if not, have received prior approval from WISEST over email
We will pick your top grades out of the following:
One of the following:
  • Math 20-1
  • Math 30-1
Two of the following:
  • Biology 20 or 30
  • Chemistry 20 or 30
  • Physics 20 or 30

We cannot take 20 and 30 level marks of the same course (ex. Bio 20 and 30). We will use your interim grades to calculate this average for any courses currently in progress.

Step 2: Acquire your transcript and interim grade documents 

For Albertan students, you must upload two documents.

  • Your or Official Transcript from MyPass
  • A dated screenshot of your school’s grade portal with your current interim grades

For out-of-province students, please provide us with the equivalent documents and information to those listed above. Please contact us at wisest@ualberta.ca with any questions about out-of-province grade information requirements.

Step 3: Rename and upload files 

Interim Grade naming convention:

  • FirstInitial_LastInitial_schoolname_InterimGrades_SRP2025
    Ex. D_J_EdmontonHigh_InterimGrades_SRP2025

Transcript naming convention:

  • FirstInitial_LastInitial_schoolname_Transcript_SRP2025
    Ex. D_J_EdmontonHigh_Transcript_SRP2025

Please upload the renamed files in the Google Submission form.

There are 4 components to the . The Online Application Form will close at 11:59 PM, April 2, 2025

1. Provide your personal and background information as well as information about your placement preferences (this section won’t be judged)

2. Respond to a series of short answer questions to help us get to know you a little better (this component will be judged by our adjudicators)

The short answer questions are the following:
1. Why do you want to participate in the Summer Research Program?
2. Select the top 3 disciplines that interest you. Explain why these disciplines are of interest to you, referencing past SRP projects if relevant.
3. What are your education and career goals and aspirations and how do you see the SRP impacting them? [What type of post-secondary program(s) are you considering? What are you considering as a potential career? If you aren't sure (and that's OKAY!) please describe some of the areas of study and types of careers you are interested in.]
4. Please share with us what diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you and how you personally connect with these values.
3. Upload your properly named personal response file, interim grades file, and transcript file 
4. For students from outside of the greater Edmonton area, when completing the Online Application, please respond to the questions about living arrangements and fund support (this section won’t be judged).

Selection Process

1. Available Seats
The number of successful applicants can vary each year depending on the number of seats that WISEST has available for the program. This depends largely on funding and the ability of researchers to take on students in their labs. Typically WISEST has been able to accommodate approximately 40 students each summer.
2. School Representation
WISEST strives to have students from as many different high schools as possible so that our program has a diversity of students. Thus, the number of students accepted from any one high school might be limited depending on how many schools have students that apply and how many students from each school apply.
3. Grade Requirements
The average requirement* for the program is 85% based on the criteria below. Once the 85% average requirement is met, grades are NO LONGER considered in the adjudication process. This means that there is no advantage to having a very high average or any disadvantage if your average just meets the minimum requirements. Therefore, there is no need to send in updated/higher grades after your transcript and interim grades are submitted.
When you submit your interim grades and transcript, we will pick your top grades out of the following:
One of the following:
  • Math 20-1
  • Math 30-1
Two of the following:
  • Biology 20 or 30
  • Chemistry 20 or 30
  • Physics 20 or 30
We cannot take 20 and 30 level marks of the same course (ex. Bio 20 and 30).
We will use your interim grades to calculate this average for any courses currently in progress. If you have one grade 11 math grade and two grade 11 science courses completed, they are on your full transcript, and they meet the minimum grade requirement, we do not need further interim marks.
 
*If you do not quite meet the minimum requirement, please email wisest@ualberta.ca and we will be happy to discuss options with you for your application.
**For out-of-province students, please provide us with the equivalent documents and information to those listed above. Please contact us at wisest@ualberta.ca with any questions about out-of-province grade information requirements.

***If you have taken Mathematics 30-1 or a 30-level science course and that grade is higher than your 20-level grade in a given subject, you may submit the 30-level grade and we will use that grade in the calculation of your average.
4. Commitment

Applicants must be willing to fully commit to the entire 6 weeks of the program (no holidays or conflicting commitments).

Due to the intensive nature of the 6-week program, we highly discourage students from working other part-time jobs or having other involvements (volunteer, sports, summer school, etc) that demand more than 10 hours a week. 

5. Personal Response

A personal response must be submitted to WISEST (through the online application form).

You can choose to submit a response in:

  • written essay form between 500-700 words, typed in 12-point Calibri font,
  • through other media ie) video (.mp4) or podcast (.mp3) no longer than 3.5 minutes in length. Ensure you submit an appropriate media file, if we can’t open the file we cannot review it. These media will only be used for screening applications.
  • A piece of original art (done by you), accompanied by an  300-500 words, typed in 12-point Calibri font, that addresses how the pieces answers 2-3 of the prompts below would also be accepted. 

What does the response need to address? Choose 2-3 of the following to respond to: 

  1. What topic in science or math do you currently find the most interesting and why? When and how did you become aware of this topic and how have you explored it on your own since?
  2. What inspired your love of STEM? You can talk about a STEM memory, a class you have taken, a topic you’re interested in, a problem you want to solve, etc. 
  3. Please tell us what you not only hope to get out of this program, but also what you hope to bring to the program.
  4. Describe a challenge in your community that you want to solve using STEM.
  5. What does success in the program look like to you?
  6. How do your personal values align with the WISEST values?
  7. What can you do today that you did not think you could do a year ago? Please reflect on what it looked like to learn and develop this skill and if anyone helped you. How do you encourage yourself when you are trying something new?

While answering 2-3 of the above questions, make sure you are also showing your:

  • Personality! We want to get to know you, be sure to answer these questions using your authentic voice vs. saying what you think we want to hear
  • Passion for science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)
  • Alignment with WISEST’s values 
  • Openness to exploring a variety of STEM fields 
  • Interest in STEM fields underrepresented by women and gender-diverse people 
6. Teacher References

Each student must submit two reference from their science or math teachers or community leaders.

Please fill in this . This form will send the reference form to the emails you provide for your references. Please double-check the accuracy of the emails you submit. 

We strongly recommend you fill in this form before March 19th, 2025 to ensure your references have sufficient time to provide you with a strong reference. 

It is your responsibility to ensure your references receive the information. Some school districts' or work emails filter these emails so they're not successfully delivered. Please ensure you not only ask your reference for permission to use them as a reference but also check to ensure they receive the form. 

The form teacher references are asked to fill out is also found here. 

7. Open Mind

This is an extremely important evaluation criterion for the selection committee. It is important that students remember that this program is designed to help students explore diverse careers in science, engineering and technology and to consider fields in which their gender is typically underrepresented. Students who have a love of science and a desire to learn about new possibilities and future career paths are the most successful in this program.

Please note, WISEST does not provide medical placements. 

Application Resources

Questions?
Please read our FAQ page. If your question still is not answered, email us at wisest@ualberta.ca or call 780-492-7774.