Student Partnerships for Advanced Research and Knowledge (SPARK)

The Student Partnerships for Advanced Research and Knowledge (SPARK) program provides an opportunity for all high school students and their science educators to become visiting researchers to Brookhaven National Laboratory’s scientific facilities— just like the thousands of scientific researchers use them for their research each year.

Participants in this year-round program will conduct hypothesis-driven research through collaborations with scientific experts at Brookhaven Lab. This experience enables students to actively contribute to the scientific community, obtain real research experience, and motivate students to consider careers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Educators will have the opportunity to develop long-term research partnerships with Lab scientists and may be eligible to receive continuing education credit. Additionally, educators can expand their network of local educators and STEM professionals while enriching their curriculum content through exposure to the Department of Energy’s (DOE) multidisciplinary science research and the capabilities of the National Laboratory complex.

Program Overview

The SPARK program starts with educator training where participants will gain an understanding of:

• Scientific capabilities of the user facilities
• Scientific data analysis
• Proposal writing

Should participants decide they want to perform research at one of Brookhaven Lab’s facilities as part of this program, trained educators can recruit student team(s) from their school to develop a research project that aligns with the capabilities of the user facility.  The mentor and students must submit a research plan outlining the experiment they would like to conduct in order to be considered for access to one of the Lab’s facilities.

As a user of the Brookhaven Lab facilities, participants will be asked to share their findings in the annual NSLS-II & CFN Users’ Meeting as well as in educational and peer-reviewed scientific journals.  

SPARK Program Eligibility

• High school research and science teachers
• High school students, no younger than 15 years old
• Participants must be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents (Green Card holders)

Participating User Facilities

• The National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)
• The Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN)

New for summer 2025 – SPARK Educator Institute!

This two-week summer STEM research training introduces STEM high school and community college faculty to the scientific capabilities of Brookhaven Laboratory’s NSLS-II user facility for student-driven research and technical projects. Ten program participants will receive foundational instruction and be immersed in hands-on structural biology and environmental systems biology activities with a focus on spectroscopy and protein crystallography. Participants will engage in the development of curriculum throughout the program, supporting the DOE’s scientific mission to cultivate the next generation of users and STEM professionals. This program is funded by the DOE, Office of Science Pathway Summer Institute program supported by the Office of Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientist (WDTS).

This program runs from July 21, 2025 through August 1, 2025 (M-F, 9:00 a.m – 4:00 p.m.). Educators accepted into the program will receive a $1400 weekly stipend.

Eligibility Criteria

STEM high school educators who oversee research students/programs and STEM community college faculty with research interests or technical projects that align with the capabilities of the NSLS-II are encouraged to apply.

To participate, academic institutions must establish a signed, non-proprietary user agreement with BNL in advance of the program start date if one is not already in place.

At the time of application submission, all applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a U.S. Citizen and possess a Federal REAL ID license or a valid passport
  • Find more information about REAL ID at https://www.dhs.gov/real-id/real-id-faqs
• Be available for the entirety of the program (onsite at BNL from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on all dates of the program);
• Have active health insurance for the duration of the program; and 
• Have reliable transportation to and from Brookhaven National Laboratory for the duration of the program (this is a commuter program; transportation and housing are not provided).