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UC Davis · A GCSE Chapter

Real research. With a UC Davis scientist. For a year.

EnvironMentors pairs Sacramento-area high schoolers with UC Davis researchers for a year of real science. You pick a question you care about, anything from ecology to agriculture to human health, and your mentor helps you investigate it.

Sign up for more info Free. No experience needed. For high schoolers and the researchers who want to mentor them.
A mentee presents her research at the GCSE International Science Fair, Panama, 2026.
1 : 1
Mentor pairing
Free
Students & schools
Sept–June
The school year
GCSE
National chapter
Mentors come from across UC Davis
Plant Sciences Land, Air & Water Resources Agricultural & Resource Economics Animal Science Environmental Toxicology Evolution & Ecology Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology Entomology & Nematology Food Science & Technology Civil & Environmental Engineering Environmental Science & Policy Earth & Planetary Sciences

How it works

01

Get matched

You're paired one-on-one with a UC Davis mentor (an undergraduate, graduate student, postdoc, or faculty member) whose science fits what you're curious about.

02

Run your project

Together you shape a simple project, usually just a few rounds of data collection, and run it across the year. The science stays approachable; the mentorship is the point.

03

Present your science

Show your work at the UC Davis Science Fair. A top group goes on to the GCSE International Fair, fully covered.

"The program has elevated my interest in environmental science by pushing me to be more confident in my data analysis and poster presentation skills. Without joining EnvironMentors, I would not have gained the valuable research skills that I can now take with me to college…"
Anna Callens · Mentee, Pioneer High School
"She had her own project idea, and I've been following her lead on it. She comes to every meeting more and more prepared. It's amazing to watch how her scientific muscle is growing."
Gal Koss · Mentor, PhD candidate
"I read that by 2050, salt levels will more than double in groundwater, so I thought that with this research, we can try to find solutions to that problem. By using the greenhouses, I feel like I'm learning a lot."
Mudasser Ahmed · Mentee, 11th grade
"I think a mentorship program, in which I can tell her about my experience and my story, is helpful to make decisions about her career. This group of mentees and mentors, forming this community on campus, is super valuable for anyone."
Marie Klein · Mentor, postdoctoral researcher
"I joined EnvironMentors to bring my background in agricultural and soil science into a mentoring environment where students can see how the chemistry and biology concepts they learn in class translate into meaningful research."
Maya Shydlowski · Mentor, soil science
"Thanks to the program and my mentor, I feel prepared with my speaking skills and am confident in my research and writing skills."
Erin Murphy · Mentee, Environmental Leader Award winner
Track record

Two years in.

EnvironMentors has run nationally since 1992. UC Davis had a chapter from 2009 to 2019, and we restarted it in 2024. In our first year back, two students earned full scholarships to the international science fair in Chicago, and one placed third overall. This year, four students earned scholarships to the international fair in Panama. One won best presentation, and another took the top prize for the best project overall.

Since the UC Davis chapter began, more than 150 high school students and just as many UC Davis mentors have come through it. Both leave with more than they came with, and we're proud of what they've done. Our thanks to the teachers, researchers, and supporters who make it possible.

Get involved

Tell us a little about you, and we’ll keep you in the loop.

Students, parents, teachers, UC Davis researchers, anyone curious about what we do. This form is open to all of it, all year. Tell us who you are and we’ll send you news, session updates, and an invitation when the next round opens. Student applications for 2026–27 have closed and our cohort is set, but UC Davis mentors, we still have room right now.