The Vancouver Summer Program with UBC Science provides students with the opportunity to study at a top international research university and experience local Vancouver culture.

What you might expect/course format

Courses with UBC Science include in-class and lab portions taught by UBC faculty members, graduate students, and guest lecturers. Courses also include short field trips and other engaging learning opportunities. Students can expect team-based learning activities and assignments.

Check out VSP Chemistry’s page here!

*This course package is canceled for July 2023. Students who have applied for this package are encouraged to consider switching to other course packages available at VSP.

Tackling Global Challenges with Modern Chemistry

Sustainability. Renewable energy. Nanomaterials. Clean water. Antibiotic resistance. This course explores upcoming challenges in modern society – and presents the impacts, analysis and potential solutions that modern investigators in the field of chemistry are actively studying. Students will be presented with case studies to explore the important problems facing our society.

Environmental Chemistry of the Oceans and Atmosphere

Picture Earth from Space—the Earth is a blue and white speckled gem. The blue of the sea. The white of the clouds in the Air. This course explores the chemical composition and reaction processes of the air and/or the seas. Case studies may involve the chemical processes associated with atmospheric interactions with solar radiation, the stratospheric ozone layer and the ozone hole, photochemical smog, air and water pollution, corrosion treatment and microbial transformations within natural waters.

Participants must be 19 years or older.
Prerequisites: One university 1st year chemistry course. Familiarity of introductory level university chemistry is an asset for students interested in this course.

For VSP Chemistry-specific questions, email Gregory Dake at Gdake@chem.ubc.ca

or Tori Christianson at Chemcom@chem.ubc.ca

Student testimonials

“My favorite part of VSP was the connections I made with people, both inside and outside of the program. I also loved the laboratories.” VSP taught me many things, both knowledge and character development. The lectures were very knowledgeable especially when Hadi Sir used to teach us.

…He would make us think in ways we couldn’t even imagine. Our perspective over certain things changed a lot.”

– VSP Science Student, 2019