Become an ASPIRE Scholar!
ASPIRE Scholars earn course credit while spending 10 hours a week developing laboratory skills and conducting research. They have the opportunity to participate in all stages of the research process, ultimately developing the knowledge and skills to design independent research projects and make novel contributions to their chosen field. For more information, contact the program directors at aspire@ucdavis.edu.
You must be a first-year or second-year student to apply. Unfortunately, transfer students are not currently eligible for ASPIRE.
Finding the right mentor
If you are interested in applying to ASPIRE, please begin by looking through the available faculty members page (which is updated each year in October). On the faculty mentors page, you can explore the research topics studied by each faculty mentor. You can learn more by clicking on a faculty mentor's name, which will bring you to a short summary of their research interests. If you want to learn more about that mentor's lab, click on the link to their lab's website. From there, you can read more about the faculty mentor's interests. You will need to identify three potential mentors.
Information sessions
We typically hold information sessions via Zoom in late October. Check this web page in early October for details.
How to apply
We accept applications once each year during the Fall quarter. The application portal typically opens in late October and closes after approximately two weeks. Check this web page in early October for details. We are no longer accepting applications for 2023.