The Research Science Institute is coming to Stanford. Starting in 2027, the elite summer program run by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) will expand beyond its historic MIT home to a second campus in California. Fifty high school students, selected from among the most talented in the world, will spend six weeks immersed in high-level scientific research. This is a concrete expansion, not a statement of intent.
The CEE is an organization with deep roots in the history of American nuclear energy. It was co-founded by Joann DiGennaro and the late Admiral H.G. Rickover, a legendary figure in the U.S. Navy and the father of the civilian naval nuclear program. Decades ago, Rickover understood that investing in young scientific talent was the key to securing a competitive future for the United States. The RSI is the direct product of that vision. The program, which has been running at MIT for over forty years, has so far produced nearly 2,300 alumni, with 80% going on to pursue STEM careers.
The program’s structure is rigorous and highly selective. The first week consists of intensive STEM courses taught by leading university professors. Then comes the heart of the experience: five weeks of individual research conducted under the mentorship of established scientists and researchers. This is no ordinary summer course. Students work in real laboratories, tackling open-ended problems using methods drawn from graduate-level academic research.
The expansion to Stanford brings with it some notable names. Feng Zhang, a professor at MIT and member of the CEE board of directors, is an RSI alumnus from 1999. Jacob Fox, a professor at Stanford, attended the program in 2001. Their institutional involvement ensures continuity between MIT’s long-standing tradition and the new California chapter. Joann DiGennaro has described Stanford as a place where leaders know how to grow. Operational details — including application deadlines and the program calendar — will be announced at a later date.
The connection to nuclear energy goes beyond biography. Rickover was not only the father of the naval nuclear program: he was also one of the foremost advocates for civilian nuclear energy in the United States, convinced that atomic technology was a cornerstone of national security and collective progress. The RSI was born from that same conviction, applied to the training of the next generation of scientists. Educating today those who will tomorrow design reactors, develop advanced materials, or lead fusion research is a long-term investment that very few institutions are capable of making with this level of consistency.
The RSI’s arrival at Stanford signals something broader: the recognition that human capital is the true force multiplier behind any technological ambition. Civil nuclear energy needs engineers, physicists, and researchers capable of sustaining the global push toward new generations of reactors. A program that identifies talent at sixteen and brings students into a university laboratory for six weeks is no minor detail. It is one of the most effective ways to build the pipeline of expertise on which everything else will depend.
