The College of Arts and Sciences at Drexel University offers a number of research-rich summer programs that enable students to bond with each other while gaining valuable experience that will support their academic and professional futures.

Non-credit

Residential

Financial Aid

Application fee waiver

The Drexel Environmental Science Leadership Academy (DESLA) of the Drexel University College of Arts and Sciences offers summer camps for students at three different locations:

1. Barnegat Bay Field Station, Waretown, NJ.
The Drexel Environmental Science Leadership Academy (DESLA) takes place at the Barnegat Bay Field Station situated on 194 acres of land with a wide range of habitats available for education and research including a maritime forest, salt marsh, tidal streams, and a freshwater impoundment. Students gain hands-on field experience across a range of research areas: local community habitats and environments; beach, marsh, and Pine Barren ecology; botany and lake ecology; and geology and paleontology. Students will learn what it means to be an environmental scientist and what it takes to be a leader in this rapidly growing field.

2. Lacawac Sanctuary & Field Station, Lake Ariel, PA.
The Drexel Environmental Science Leadership Academy (DESLA) at Lacawac Sanctuary is a summer adventure and learning experience for high school students at the Lacawac Sanctuary & Field Station in Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania. Students gain hands-on experience while studying and working in the lush forest and lake ecosystems of the Pocono Mountains.

3. Bighorn Basin Paleontological Institute, Red Lodge, MT and Yellowstone National Park, WY.
Drexel Environmental Science Leadership Academy (DESLA) in Bighorn Basin, Montana, and Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, is an exciting opportunity for high school students to gain hands-on field experience, learn about the history of the planet, and discover the processes that shape the landscapes around us today — all set against the backdrop the country's most impressive natural wonders! Students do not need to have any formal geology education to attend this summer camp.

Camp 1 - Barnegat Bay Field Station

Jul 09 - Jul 15

1 week

Residential

2200 USD

Camp 2 - Lacawac Sanctuary

Jul 23 - Jul 29

1 week

Residential

2200 USD

Camp 3 - Bighorn Basin, Montana and Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Aug 05 - Aug 13

1 week

Residential

2800 USD

Participants who apply to Drexel University will receive an undergraduate application fee waiver.

Financial Scholarships:

There are a small number of need-based scholarships available to students accepted into one of the DESLA summer programs.

If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, the following items must be received by the scholarship review committee within two weeks of your acceptance into the program:

A 500-word essay explaining why you are a good candidate to receive a scholarship. (Please keep in mind that scholarships are need-based!)
Evidence of financial need (ie - recent tax return, award letter for SNAP, WIC, reduced/free school lunch, etc.)