The Apprentice Researchers (AR) program gives high school students and science teachers an opportunity to do hands-on, minds-on scientific investigations in a dynamic research environment. The students and teachers who participate in the program work with graduate student researchers in UCSB science and engineering laboratories, gaining first-hand experience in how science research is conducted.

The apprentices work at UCSB's California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) for four weeks during the summer. Four days a week the apprentice spends the day working with her/his own graduate student mentor on a research project. Research project topics are all related to the engineering and study of microscopically small (nanometer scale) structures and materials. Apprentices practice presentation skills and give weekly scientific talks based on their research projects.

On Fridays, apprentices work together as a group. There are lab workshops in biology, chemistry, electronics, semiconductor processing, experimental design, data analysis, and computers. Field trips to industrial laboratories and other UCSB research labs give students a view of the wide variety of job opportunities available after their schooling.