UNF Summer Research Programs: High School Opportunities

The University of North Florida (UNF) offers a variety of summer research programs designed to engage high school students, providing them with invaluable experiences in various fields. These programs aim to foster academic excellence, promote interest in STEM and other disciplines, and prepare students for future success in college and beyond.

Pre-Collegiate Connections: College Reach-Out Program (C.R.O.P.)

The UNF/FIE Pre-Collegiate Connections: College Reach-Out Program is a collaborative effort among The Florida Institute of Education (FIE), the University of North Florida, the Florida Department of Education, and Duval County Public Schools. This research-based, academically focused program is specifically designed for high school students at William M. Raines High School.

Program Objectives

The primary goal of the C.R.O.P program is to increase the number of students from low-income families who successfully enroll in and complete college. The program is located at William M. Raines High School and serves thirty participants.

Learning Excursions and Experiences

The UNF/FIE Pre-Collegiate Connections College Reach-Out Program provides students with the opportunity to attend a college learning excursion, including a five-day residency summer experience on the University of North Florida campus. These excursions also include college tours to regional private, public, and historically black colleges and universities. These excursions provide learning opportunities that enable students and families to make connections between the key transitional and content knowledge gained during C.R.O.P workshops.

Key Strategies

The C.R.O.P program employs several strategies to support its participants:

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Building Pre-Collegiate Scholars' Expertise: This involves providing up to sixteen bi-weekly structured learning sessions at William M. Raines High School.
Ongoing Progress Monitoring, Feedback, and Reflection: The program conducts quarterly academic monitoring through the use of the C.R.O.P Road to Success Guide, DCPS Student Academic History, and report cards to identify course requirements for on-time high school graduation, along with college preparation courses offered at William M. Raines High School. Technology is used during structured learning sessions.

Florida Data Science for Social Good (FL-DSSG)

FL-DSSG projects address persistent social issues in Florida communities, otherwise known as wicked problems. The FL-DSSG program obtains relevant data from community partners pertinent to the issue and assists partners in making data-driven decisions for addressing their wicked social problem.

Cathedral Arts Project (CAP)

The Cathedral Arts Project (CAP) instructs, instills, and inspires through various offerings, including after-school, school day & summer programs, cultural experiences, advocacy, community partnerships, and professional development. Children receive free quality, standards-based instruction in dance, media arts, music, theatre, and visual arts through CAP programs.

LEAD Research

To further the LEAD (Landscape of Education on the Arts in Duval) research, CAP and its partners continue their work in the Arts in Schools Celebration rubric and feedback system. This system is utilized for measuring and understanding access to the arts in Duval County. The Arts in Schools Celebration system provides a quantitative summary score that measures and tracks each school's progress and shows actionable pathways for schools to improve their arts offerings with community partners and key stakeholders.

Correlations Between Arts and Education

DSSG and CAP found correlations between the number of arts offerings, arts disciplines, arts education, students enrolled in arts courses and school grades as assigned by the Florida State Department of Education. By including whether schools fund the arts as part of its Arts in Schools Celebration designation and art school report, CAP is able to make visible the impacts of resource allocation choices on students' arts learning experiences, or lack thereof.

LISC Jacksonville

LISC Jacksonville, the local affiliate of the national nonprofit Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), facilitates strategic investments and cross-sector partnerships to advance equitable community development throughout Duval County. Through its integrated initiatives-spanning affordable housing, heirs’ property resolution, organizational capacity-building, and neighborhood revitalization-it seeks to create resilient communities where all residents have access to economic opportunity, housing stability, and generational wealth. As trillions of dollars in property wealth shift across generations, many transfers remain invisible, especially in historically excluded communities. In places like Jacksonville, property is often passed informally, without legal protection. Women, particularly older Black women, are increasingly the recipients of this wealth, but often without the legal infrastructure to secure it.

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NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

While primarily aimed at undergraduate students, the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program can also provide opportunities for high school students interested in research. Faculty can apply for funding to support a cohort of undergraduate students in research projects designed specifically for the NSF REU program (an REU Site) or can apply for additional funding to involve undergraduate students in a new or ongoing NSF-funded research project (an REU Supplement).

Participation in REU

Undergraduates (college and university students) can apply directly to REU Sites to participate in research projects across the United States and the world. REU-supported students receive stipends and in many cases assistance with housing, meals and travel. High school students with advanced academic standing and a strong interest in research may be eligible to participate in some REU programs.

Other Internship Opportunities

A list of undergraduate research internships, either for the full-year or just the summer. The internship is a great way for you to test your inclination toward a career in medicine, health care, and science.

Mayo Clinic Neurology Internship

The educational curriculum will allow the student to learn about a career in health care, the neurosciences, and stroke neurology. Twice a month, students will have lectures that range from professionalism, presenting medical cases, neurobiology of stroke, basic neuroanatomy, medical terminology, neuroimaging, stroke epidemiology, acute stroke therapies, and stroke prevention.

Clinical Exposure

The clinical exposure provides a hospital-based neurology clinical experience. Students will round with the Mayo Clinic stroke team twice a month, observing the evaluation, care, and treatment of stroke patients in the hospital. Here, the students will be able to apply the knowledge from their didactics to the bedside. The hospital setting allows opportunities to better understand the team dynamics of providers in different healthcare roles, observe the patient-provider relationship, and interact with trainees at different stages of their medical education.

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Community Outreach

The community outreach aspect of the program empowers the student to educate members of their community on stroke prevention and preparedness. You are expected to commit a minimum of three or four hours a week at Mayo Clinic for hospital rounds or lectures.

Nature Prescription Rx Program

The Nature Prescription Rx Program encourages students, faculty, and staff to connect with the natural world as a pathway to improved mental, physical, and emotional health. Rooted in the growing national movement to “prescribe nature,” the program leverages UNF’s unique campus ecosystems-such as the Sawmill Slough Preserve-to promote time outdoors through guided trips, on-campus events, and indoor nature experiences.

Youth Environmental Leadership Program (YELP)

The Youth Environmental Leadership Program (YELP) offers a competitive, year-long pre-college experience for high school students. Participants explore environmental science and stewardship while developing leadership skills and designing capstone projects that increase access to nature.

Environmental Leadership Program (ELP)

The Environmental Leadership Program (ELP) is a merit-based, two-semester scholarship program open to undergraduate UNF students from all majors. Through academic enrichment, hands-on projects, and professional mentorship, students develop the skills to lead environmental initiatives. Past projects (hyperlink to ELP past projects - not specific) have included transforming gardens into on-campus enterprises, exploring the mental health benefits of plant propagation, and promoting urban tree planting as a public health strategy.

UNF's Commitment to Research

Research is the cornerstone of our academic excellence, empowering students and faculty to push the boundaries of knowledge and pursue groundbreaking discoveries. This commitment to inquiry extends far beyond our campus, creating meaningful solutions that uplift our community and spark innovation across industries. Through dedicated research at UNF, we can forge new paths, answer critical questions and build a world of endless possibility. All incoming students participate in at least one immersive, hands-on learning experience - including internships, research, leadership experiences and more. One of only 139 institutions to receive the designation indicating a heightened emphasis on, and budget for, research projects and doctoral level programs. 400 presentations were given at our student research symposia series in 2025, representing all academic colleges and the Hicks Honors College.

Innovative Research Examples

Nursing Anesthesiology: Madison Funk’s journey to becoming a nurse anesthetist began with a childhood passion for healthcare, shaped by early volunteer experiences and strengthened by her frontline ICU work during the COVID-19 pandemic. That dedication has grown into a career as she prepares to graduate with a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in nurse anesthesiology from UNF. Funk’s achievements earned her a spot in the inaugural class of UNF Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist (SRNA) Fellows at the Mayo Clinic, where she gained hands-on experience with complex anesthesia cases and honed her skills in critical care.
Mathematics and Fiber Arts: Dr. Beyza Aslan, UNF associate professor of mathematics and statistics, is transforming how math is experienced by blending her expertise with the art of crochet. Her recent exhibit at the Jessie Ball duPont Center showcased how complex concepts like 3D topology and geometry can be visualized through loops and stitches, turning abstract equations into vibrant, tangible art. Committed to making math more accessible, Aslan is developing an innovative curriculum set to launch in 2027 that integrates fiber arts with mathematical exploration for UNF students of all majors. Beyond the University, she plans to bring her exhibit to local middle and high schools, inspiring the next generation to see the beauty in numbers.
Solving Global Problems: UNF faculty and students are focused on solving problems facing the world today. Our faculty and students are focused on solving problems facing the world today. Supporting industries.

Focus on Specific Industries

Advanced Manufacturing: With the only advanced manufacturing degree offered in the state of Florida, UNF is preparing students to take on new leadership roles in this fast-growing field.
Environmental Research: Through interdisciplinary research, UNF's Institute of Environmental Research and Education is advancing coastal resilience and water stewardship.
Technology: UNF students and faculty are working with industry leaders in data science, cybersecurity, fintech, and other fields to address needs and respond to technology trends that require innovative, adaptable solutions. UNF marked a major institutional milestone in 2024, launching a research-focused Ph.D. in Computing with concentrations in Intelligent Systems and Cybersecurity. Faculty and students in this program - the first Ph.D.

Healthcare Collaboration

Jacksonville’s world-class healthcare environment offers UNF students and faculty extraordinary opportunities to collaborate with industry experts and clinicians on research intended to drive innovative solutions to current and future healthcare challenges.

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