SPARC (Summer Program on Applied Rationality and Cognition)

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A free, highly selective summer program that trains talented high school students to develop quantitative thinking skills and apply them to themselves and the world using ideas from mathematics, cognitive science, and decision-making.

Endorsed by+1

Endorsements support Center for Applied Rationality.

Endorsed by+1

Endorsements support Center for Applied Rationality.

People– no linked people

Project Details

SPARC (Summer Program on Applied Rationality and Cognition) is an intensive residential summer program for mathematically talented high school students. Over roughly two weeks, participants live on a university campus in California, attend small, discussion‑oriented classes on topics such as probability, statistics, causal modeling, cognitive biases, superforecasting, and effective decision-making, and take part in workshops and activities ranging from programming labs to negotiation exercises and games. The program is completely free, with boarding and meals provided and need‑based travel support available, and is designed to help students connect advanced quantitative ideas with real‑world reasoning about their own lives and global problems.

Theory of Change

SPARC aims to identify mathematically gifted and intellectually curious high school students and help them apply their analytical abilities to understanding their own lives and the wider world. By training participants in quantitative reasoning, cognitive science, and practical decision‑making, and by connecting them with each other and with mentors who work on high‑impact problems, the program seeks to produce a cohort of future researchers and leaders who use rigorous thinking and concern for humanity’s long‑term future to guide their careers and projects.

Grants Received– no grants recorded

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