Summer Ventures
Welcome to UNCW Summer Ventures! This multi-week, research-intensive program provides students the opportunity to engage in the science and mathematics research process.
UNCW courses highlight areas of STEM and research at our campus. Students will have the pleasure and privilege of working with some of our most innovative faculty on collaborative research projects.
So, take a deep breath and get ready to “dive in” to Summer Ventures at UNCW.
- Erin Moran, Director for Summer Ventures at UNCW
Join Summer Ventures
How do I become a Summer Ventures student?
Summer Ventures is open to North Carolina students in the sophomore and junior year of high school. Participants apply to join summer ventures in the Fall with a deadline of January 5, 2026. Students apply to summer ventures as a state program. Accepted students are placed at one of the 4 campuses that host the program. Campuses include App State, University North Carolina Charlotte, East Carolina University, and University North Carolina Wilmington.
Accepted Student Information
Summer 2026 planning is underway for the 2026, 4-week UNCW Summer Ventures programming in person.
When: Sunday, June 21 to Saturday, July 18, 2026
- Orientation take place virtually Thursday, June 18, 5:30 - 6:30 PM.
- UNCW Summer Ventures 2026 students will be emailed the access to the virtual meeting.
- 2026 Home weekend: TBD
- Research Symposium and check out: July 18, 2026
Course Descriptions
2026 Descriptions
Biotechnology in the AI Era
Modern biotechnology integrates interdisciplinary scientific knowledge with engineering tools to create impactful products derived from biological systems. These innovations span diverse fields, including medicine, agriculture, energy, and defense. Recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and computational technologies have ushered in a new era of rapid and transformative growth in biotechnology.
We cordially invite talented and motivated high school students from North Carolina to participate in an exciting and challenging biotechnology research expedition this summer. Working in collaborative teams, participants will address real-world problems using cutting-edge computational and experimental approaches. This immersive program introduces students to state-of-the-art methodologies such as bioinformatics, AI-assisted protein design, genome editing, RNA interference, and gene replacement strategies. Leveraging these tools, students will develop innovative solutions to pressing challenges in medicine, agriculture, energy, and beyond. Under expert mentorship, participants will engage in hands-on laboratory research, gaining experience in the full pipeline of designing, expressing, and characterizing novel recombinant proteins.
Designed as an intensive four-week experience, the program mirrors the complexity and creativity of real-world biotechnology research. Students will pursue highly exploratory projects that push the boundaries of current knowledge and venture into uncharted scientific territory. This program offers a unique opportunity to explore emerging frontiers in biotechnology, foster innovation, and contribute to meaningful scientific discovery. Together, we will embark on a transformative journey to address grand challenges and shape the future of biotechnology.
From Fossils to the Future: Connecting Ancient Ecosystems to Modern Conservation
Explore the fossil record of coastal North Carolina to understand how it helps scientists learn about the origins and extinctions of life, past climates, and how organisms may respond to today’s rapidly changing climate. This hands-on field course teaches students techniques that connect geologic records to current conservation challenges. Students will examine specimens by visiting the Aurora Fossil Pits, Shark tooth Island, and other fossil sites to reconstruct ancient ecosystems and address important conservation issues facing our oceans today.
Students will learn about conservation paleobiology and apply paleontological insights to current issues, such as habitat restoration, resilience, and climate change adaptation. They will lead the entire research process, from project conception to the presentation of results. Students will use various data-processing and visualization tools, including Microsoft Excel, Copilot, and R. They will explore 3D scanning and printing techniques at the MakerStudio at UNCW Library and stable isotope geochemistry at the FLITES lab within UNCW’s Center for Marine Science.
This course builds practical problem-solving and critical-thinking skills, using technical training in the Earth sciences, resource management, academia, policy advising, and more. Students will engage in geological fieldwork, visiting different fossil outcrops, kayaking to field sites, and listening to experts in the field as part of their learning experience.
Hardware for Hunger: Engineering Smart Systems from Soil to Sea
Step onto the smart farms and coastal hatcheries of North Carolina and discover how the future of our global food supply is being written in silicon, sensors, and code. This immersive engineering course invites you into the "living laboratory" of our coastal environment to solve one of the most critical challenges of our time: securing a sustainable and resilient food ecosystem across land and sea. Designed for students who love to build, iterate, and deploy, this course transitions you from a learner to a systems architect in the field of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS).
You will dive deep into the design of autonomous systems that bridge the gap between digital intelligence and physical environments. Utilizing cutting-edge technical resources, you will 3D-print custom hardware, program microcontrollers for maritime IoT (MIoT), and deploy LoRaWAN-connected networks to monitor both agricultural health and coastal water quality in real-time. The curriculum pushes the boundaries of hardware-software integration from engineering autonomous surface vessels (ASVs) that navigate marine environments to securing the maritime supply chains that transport the world’s resources. You will engage in a rapid cycle of prototyping and real-world validation, ensuring that the technology you build can withstand the rigors of the field and the open ocean.
Beyond the field, you will explore the "Table" side of the journey by applying predictive analytics and blockchain concepts to ensure that the food we grow is secure, traceable, and resilient to a changing climate. This course provides the technical mastery and creative freedom to prepare you for careers in AI research, sustainable engineering, and ag-tech innovation. Through field testing at local sites and collaboration with specialists, you will see your code come to life in the very soil and water that sustains us.