GEMS
Gains in the Education of Mathematics and Science

The United States U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research is a proud host of GEMS! Our summer program exposes students to laboratory-based experiments and encourages the development of teamwork and leadership skills.

The GEMS Summer Program in San Antonio provides students who are going into 6^th through 12^th grades the opportunity to learn more about U.S. Army medical science and STEM. Programs are free of charge. If you enjoy hands-on activities and want to learn about science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects and careers, apply to GEMS in San Antonio!

/ / / Camps at this location

Each camp is 4 days, with three sessions to choose from.

/ / / How to Apply

Student applications are completed in the online platform Ideal-Logic. Applications for 2027 GEMS will be open soon.

Potential applicants should start now in seeking out their 2 letters of recommendation from their teachers and or counselors. Each letter should be descriptive of the students’ academic attributes, noting their GPA. Send the letters of recommendation to the local program coordinator by April via email.

The projected deadline is April. Ensure that all Letters of Recommendations are sent by this date to email address: [email protected].

Applicants will also need to prepare short essays on topics listed below. (We recommend writing these essays in a word processing program (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, etc.) so that you can then cut and paste into the GEMS application.)

1. Please list the science activities in which you have participated; provide additional details on those you particularly enjoyed (no more than 3000 characters).
2. Please describe your major academic, career and research areas of interests.

/ / / Volunteer and work with us

/ / / About USAISR

The U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research (USAISR) began in 1943 as the Surgical Research Unit at Halloran General Hospital in Staten Island, New York, where it studied newly discovered antibiotics for treating war wounds. The Institute moved to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, in 1947 and later became known as the Army’s Burn Unit, a model for civilian burn units around the world. Today USAISR has more than 700 military and civilian personnel and serves as the Army’s primary combat casualty care research facility. Its work has produced lifesaving tools used by Soldiers, including the Combat Application Tourniquet and Combat Gauze.

Mission: Optimizing Combat Casualty Care

Vision: The world's premier research organization enabling readiness and delivering evidence based solutions for the optimal care of the combat wounded.