FAQ | Simons Summer Research Program

APPLICANT-FAQ

It is up to each school to determine their selection process (lottery, first-come/ first-serve, pre-application ) in choosing two (2) designated nominees.Schools that exceed the two (2) student nomination limit, as well as independently submitted, late, and incomplete applications will all be disqualified.
Yes. Schools that have not previously nominated a student in prior years will not appear on our current database. Should that be the case, any school official (typically a science teacher, a science research coordinator) may nominate students for the Simons program by completing the nomination form and we will include that information on our database in future years.It is strongly recommended that only one (1) school official be in charge of the nomination process to ensure there are no more than two (2) nominees from each school.
A completed application comprises: 1) online application; 2) student transcript (uploaded with online application); 3) two letters of recommendation from teachers (math/science preferred); and 4) school nomination from desginated high school official. Applicants who have prior research experience may have a faculty mentor submit an additional letter of support (optional) sent to simonssrp@stonybrook.edu.

Please do not attempt to send any other supplementary materials (test scores, resumes, awards)that are not requested as we are unable to include with application files.
Applicants must select their top three faculty mentor preferences on their online application. We cannot accommodate requests to work with mentors not on the published list. Students who are interested in independent research (outside the SSRP program) should not be discouraged from contacting faculty directly and making their own arrangements.
Contacting and reaching out to potential faculty mentors is not essential during the application process. Many faculty mentors are extremely busy with other obligations and often are unable to respond to individual applicant inquiries. Applicants in some cases may be contacted by Simons SRP staff or potential faculty mentors as part of the application process.
Applicants can expect to receive a confirmation email at the time of submission (confirming submission of applicant documents, and providing an 8-digit confirmation code). Another email to the applicant will be sent on or before MARCH 1 confirming receipt/acknowledgement of all required application materials (such as letters of recommendation, school nomination form). Due to the high volume of application materials received, the program is unable to respond to individual applicant inquiries. Applicants may follow up with their teachers to ensure letters of recommendation have been submitted on their behalf.Teachers who submit a letter of recommendation on behalf of an applicant will receive an automated email* confirming submission of their letter of recommendation. (It is recommended that teachers check spam email folders, as sometimes these confirmation messages are filtered there.)

All applicants will be notified of their admissionsdecision in early April. The Simons program is unable to release early admissions decisions. Applicants whom receive offers from programs at other institutions and need to commit areencouraged to take advantage of those opportunities. Applicantswhom wish to withdraw their application/admissions candidacy should contact simonssrp@stonybrook.edu.
Students admitted will be required to provide documentation of vaccination status (both COVID vaccine and booster required) before engaging in on-campus work and must follow all University COVID policies (which may include proof of a negative test prior to the start date, surveillance testing, masking, etc.). Further details will be provided to accepted students at a later date; vaccine documentation is not required at time of application submission. Upon admission, the program will require further proof of insurance, waivers regarding liability, emergency contact forms, etc. from the applicant and their parent or guardian.
All admissions decisions are final. Please note that admissions into the Simons program is highly selective and we receive far more applications from extremely talented qualified students than we can accommodate in the program. Due to the extremely large number of applications received, the Simons program cannot provide individualized feedback to applicants.
There are many wonderful mentors for High School Researchers outside of the SSRP program at Stony Brook University. These arrangements are made by mutual agreement between students and faculty mentors, are contingent upon University guidelines, and may require additional paperwork (to be coordinated by the mentor's department) . Additionally, we suggest that applicants seek out alternate research and science education programs offered at Stony Brook University and elsewhere.

The Simons Summer Research Program is very competitive and applicants should not be discouraged from pursuing research by other means.

ADMITTED STUDENT - FAQ

Once you've been accepted into the Simons Summer Research program and received the name of your research supervisor, we encourage you to contact your mentor directly and ask for recommendations regarding papers you might read to get a sense of the lab's goals and ongoing research projects. Find out who will be your other colleagues (undergrad and grad students, post docs) in the lab/research group. Lab safety sessions (required) will be arranged for Simons Fellows in the first week of the program.
A Simons Program research project is subject to time constraints and will not generally satisfy the more comprehensive eligibility requirements for submissions to science fairs/competitions (e.g. ISEF, Regeneron STS, etc.) unless considerable follow-up work is done on the research project by mutual agreement with their university faculty mentor. Students interested in participating in national science competitions are encouraged to communicate their goals prior to starting in the program.
All Simons Fellows conducting research will receive information on the first day of the program regarding the summer schedule and overall program expectations, as well as practical information. In order to process this award, all program participants will need to complete and submit the necessary paperwork which will be sent to admitted students at later date.
All Simons Fellows will receive information on weekly events and programming. All participants in the Simons program should expect to commit a minimum of 4 hours per day working on their own and/or with their mentor/research group. Hours may vary and should be agreed upon by consultation with the assigned faculty mentor.
Stony Brook University is easy to reach by air, car, ferry and rail. For directions to SBU, please click here.

Accepted students participating as IN-PERSON researchers are permitted to park vehicles (if driving) without a parking permit in any of the following lots during the summer months:

Green Commuter Lots:5A, 5B, 40, and the parking lot north of Gym Road in the west/center of campus

Resident Student Lots: Resident Zones 1 through 4

Summer session parking begins the day after Spring Commencement and ends the day before the start of Monday-Friday classes for the Fall semester.

To obtain a copy of a campus map, please see: https://www.stonybrook.edu/about/maps-and-directions/