Marin County, California

Marin STEM Navigator

Real pathways. Real opportunities.

Local and beyond.

Photo: Elizabeth, prismatic light
My Mission: Connect every motivated Marin County student, regardless of school, income, or connections, to opportunities that can change their trajectory. Know a program I am missing? Email navigate@marinstemnavigator.org

Explore STEM opportunities

A “Checked” date means I confirmed that listing against the organization’s own website that month. Cards without one have not been checked yet. Always confirm details on the official page before you apply.

National & Competitive Programs

Summer Programs Worth Traveling For

Service academy previews, federal agency programs, and national competitions. You are selected on what you can do, not on what you can pay. Several charge a participation or travel fee, listed on each card, and most offer need-based assistance.

Selective, not for sale. These are not the $3,000 “leadership academies” advertised in college prep magazines, where a deposit is the only entrance requirement. Every one is run by the U.S. government, a federal service academy, or a recognized research institution, and admission is decided on merit. Some still cost money to attend. Check each card.
Application timing matters. Most of these open in December or January for the following summer. Set a reminder in November to check each program’s site. Missing the window by a week is the most common way students lose these.
University Course Navigator

Real College Courses. Free or Low Cost.

Top universities now publish their actual course content online. These are not random videos. They are the same lectures, problem sets, and exams used at MIT, Harvard, Stanford, and Berkeley. Used right, they can strengthen your college application and build real skills.

MIT OpenCourseWare
2,500+ courses • Free
Harvard (CS50 + more)
600+ courses • Free
Stanford Online
AI, engineering • Free/Paid
edX & Coursera
Thousands of courses • Free audit
Explore the full guide →

Know a program I’m missing?

This guide is student-maintained. If you know of a STEM opportunity, internship, competition, or local resource that Marin youth should know about, let me know!

Submit an opportunity →
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Made by a student, for students.

Hi, I’m Elizabeth, an 8th grader in San Rafael. I built this because the students who find these programs are usually the ones who happened to know someone. If you are curious and ready to go further, you should be able to find your next step without needing the right connections.