High School Apprenticeship Program 2026

University of California, Davis Department of Physics and Astronomy High School Apprenticeship Program in Computational Physics: Summer 2026

 

Sponsored by:
The United States Department of Energy “The mission of the Energy Department is to ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions.”

 

Supported by:
The National Nuclear Security Administration “Established by Congress in 2000, NNSA is a semi-autonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy responsible for enhancing national security through the military application of nuclear science.”

 

Administrated by:
Oak Ridge Institute of Science Education “Supporting DOE and other federal agencies’ missions to strengthen the nation’s science education and research initiatives.”
Special thanks to Jennifer Tyrell, STEM Workforce Development, ORISE.

 

2026 Summer Program Video

 

Our FANTASTIC 2026 Summer Interns!

Left to Right: Maddie Goss, Emily Bely, Farah Osmani, Mario Ortiz, Nakoa Burr, Quinten Decker, Christian Palmos, Samuel Ching, Anna Yamaletdinova, Brayden Crouch, Olivia Southwick, Julien Tientcheu

Our students come from River City High School in West Sacramento
and Woodcreek High School in Roseville

 

Our instructors
Richard Scalettar Dubarrie Fagout Valentin Taufour Anais Castillo Max Wright Andrea Lopez-Arguello Miriam Imran

 

What we do- Part 1:
We learn to code in python!

These are some of the programs we write:
ListLoopExamples RiemannSum Rocket
This program computes the trajectory of our rockets. It is the final version which includes the variation of mass as the rocket engine burns and also the effects of air resistance!! # THIS IS NEEDED TO USE ARRAYS IN PYTHON: from array import * # THIS IS NEEDED TO MAKE PLOTS IN PYTHON: import matplotlib.pyplot as plt # INPUTS dt=float(input(‘Enter dt: ‘)) m0 =float(input(‘Enter starting mass: ‘)) y =0.001 ymax=0. v =float(input(‘Enter v0: ‘)) g = -9.8 THR =float(input(‘Enter thrust: ‘)) tTHR =float(input(‘Enter duration of thrust: ‘)) pm =float(input(‘Enter propellant mass : ‘)) b =float(input(‘Enter air resistance: ‘)) # START OFF TIME, POSITION, VELOCITY ARRAYS time =array(‘f’, [0.]) ysave=array(‘f’,[y]) vsave=array(‘f’,[v]) # DO THE MD AND APPEND EACH NEW TIME, POSITION, AND VELOCITY TO ITS ARRAY t=0.0 while y > 0: t=t+dt y=y+v*dt if (y > ymax): ymax=y if (t < tTHR): m=m0-pm*t/tTHR F=THR+m*g-b*v v=v+(F/m)*dt else: m=m0-pm F=m*g-b*v v=v+(F/m)*dt if (abs(t-tTHR)<=dt/2): print(‘height when engines turn off’,y) time.append(t) ysave.append(y) vsave.append(v) print(‘time of flight’,t) print(‘apogee ‘,ymax) plt.plot(time, ysave) plt.xlabel(‘t’) plt.ylabel(‘y’) plt.show()
 We build Estes rockets and we test our code against real data!!! The python code works really well!!!

 

What we do- Part 2:
We build and fly rockets. This involves learning construction techniques, basic principles of rocket engines, etc. We then compare to codes which compute trajectories.

Some launch videos (from 2023 program): Astrocam launch Phantom launch Patriot launch Andrea’s model Another Astrocam Yet Another Astrocam

 

What we do- Part 3:
We build and fly drones. This involves learning some electronics, computer interfacing, how to solder, mechanical construction, etc.

 

What we do- Part 4:
Learning how electrical motors work. Our drones have 4 of them! We even test our hands-on skills and build an electrical motor ourselves, using a battery, a copper wire, and a magnet.

 

What we do- Part 5:
Other Activities: Liquid Nitrogen, supercondUC Davis Labs.

 

Updates from former students:
From our recent previous programs, several students went on to major in STEM fields and accomplish great things. A few examples:
Adelina Armijo is a student in Mechatronics at Chico State. Her rocket construction/launch in the Spaceport America International Rocketry Competition in 2023, 2024 and 2025.  Her team got their rocket to 10,500 feet.
Max Wright is getting his BS in Physics from UCD. He has already co-authored several research articles as an undergraduate researcher. He also served as an instructor for several editions of this program.
Jordan Criswell: Engineering degree in Robotics & Mechatronics from the University of Detroit, she is currently working as a Systems Engineer at GM.
Bryce Lu: Mechanical Engineering student at UCD and is currently in his junior year.
Alisha Vikash: Chemical Engineering Degree from UCD, she is currently working as a Risk Associate & Accounts Engineer.

 

Statements from former students:
Bryce Lu_ participated in the program in 2021 The UC Davis summer program had a huge impact on my academic direction. Before the program, I was a freshman who had to take all my classes online, and I had no idea what I wanted to do in life. During the summer program, I was able to figure out my interests through activities like working with drones and rockets. That experience made me very confident that I wanted to continue learning in these areas during and after high school. The program also gave me an early perspective on college life, which helped a lot when it came to my college decisions. Overall, the program helped me discover my interests and motivated me to become more involved in STEM.

Adelina Armijo_ participated in the program in 2022 The UC Davis summer program helped me in several ways. Learning Rocketry sparked my passion and that’s something that I have continued to work on throughout my college experience. I joined the UC Chico Rocketry club and was the vice president and treasurer for two years. I have also been doing research related to Rocketry for the past three years. I’m currently having three authored publications and working towards the first paper of which I’m the lead author. The summer program has given me a connection to UC Davis allowing me to apply to special programs in NASA. The summer program really equipped me to be able to have a very successful college experience and participate in several international rocketry tournaments.

Alisha Vikash_ participated in the program in 2018 During a summer internship program I used Python to code visual simulations showing how magnets behaved under different conditions. That experience taught me how to break down complex physical systems, test variables, and clearly communicate technical behavior. Those same skills now show up in my work as a Risk Associate & Account Engineer when I evaluate how systems respond to different operating and loss scenarios. Additionally, learning Python at an early age made me more comfortable with technical tools and structured problem-solving, which later supported my engineering coursework and field risk engineering work.