Stony Brook University has launched its 2025 Summer Opportunity for Academic Research (SOAR) program, welcoming a diverse group of undergraduates from the State University of New York (SUNY) system. This 10-week initiative aims to provide research opportunities specifically for first-generation and economically disadvantaged students.
The program is hosted on Stony Brook's campus and offers participants full-time research placements with faculty mentors. Students also receive on-campus housing, meal support, and a $5,400 stipend. The focus is on high-impact STEM fields such as artificial intelligence, microelectronics and semiconductors, biotechnology and bioengineering, quantum information science, and climate and sustainability.
Throughout the summer, participants attend weekly professional development workshops and research seminars to enhance both their technical knowledge and academic skills. The program will conclude with a poster presentation at the annual Summer Research Symposium.
“My SOAR students can truly focus on their research projects in this 10-week summer program without having to worry about studying for classes or doing a part time job,” said Mei Lin (Ete) Chan-Lo, an assistant professor of practice in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. She mentors two SOAR student participants: Aldey Brutus (electrical engineering, ‘27) and Mohammad Kader (biomedical engineering, ‘27). “We’re only in the third week of the program and my students have already made great progress.”
This year's cohort includes 29 Stony Brook students along with two students from Farmingdale State College and two from Puerto Rico.
The SOAR program is led by principal investigator Karian Wright, assistant dean for diversity and inclusion at The Graduate School, who also serves as director of the Center for Inclusive Education (CIE). Co-principal investigators include Karen Kernan, director of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URECA); Maria Nagan, associate professor in the Department of Chemistry; and Lisa Ospitale, CIE's program manager. The program management is handled by Lisa Ospitale with coordination by Diana Champney in the CIE.