Governor's STEM Institute (GSI)

Where

When

West Virginia University

Session I – June 28-July 5, 2025
Session II – July 20-July 27, 2025

Apply for the 2025 GSI WVU Program

Green Bank Observatory

July 6-July 19, 2025

Apply for the 2025 GSI Green Bank Observatory Program

About these Schools

West Virginia University

Students will dive into the world of science, math, and engineering to investigate everything from everyday legends to internet rumors. Get ready for exciting experiments, collaborative projects, and a whole lot of myth-busting mayhem! Prepare to get your hands dirty (and maybe a little messy) as we uncover the truth behind the myths.

Green Bank Observatory

Learn about the magic of the universe as you study the mysteries of outer space, utilizing data from the Green Bank Observatory (Green Bank) in Pocahontas County. Accessing the information under the guidance of nationally recognized scientists and instructors, students will learn about the constellations, outer space and, perhaps just as importantly, about their inner selves.

School and County Information

The GSI requires middle schools and county boards of education to recruit and assist students during the application window. The school counselor should not be the only individual involved in recruitment. Please use the flyer attached below to share this information in classrooms and with teachers who may be able to promote the program.

GSI Flyers

Please use the flyers below to share information about the GSI programs in classrooms and with teachers who may be able to promote the program.

• 2025 GSI WVU Flyer (for 7th grade students)
• 2025 GSI Green Bank Flyer (for 8th grade students)

Middle School Responsibilities

• Inform all qualifying students of their eligibility. Speak with students about the merit of the GSI. If students within the school attended last year, please have them speak to prospective students. Schools may recommend 7th grade students for West Virginia University (WVU) and 8th grade for Green Bank. There are separate applications and forms for each location.
• Inform students of the application.
• Communicate with the county contact about deadlines to ensure students from the high school have submitted their applications with sufficient time for the school counselor to scan documents and make selections to the county.
• The school counselor must scan student applications as PDF files and establish a committee to determine who will be nominated by the principal. The principal must sign the recommendation form and scan it as a PDF. All PDF student applications and the principal recommendation are sent electronically to the county contact. Each county will have its own deadline for schools. The state deadline for counties to submit their recommendations to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE) is April 11, 2025.
• The school counselor must print transcripts and first-semester student grades, as required in the application.

Principal Recommendation Forms

• GSI WVU Principal Recommendation Form (for 7th grade students)
• GSI Green Bank Principal Recommendation Form (for 8th grade students)

County Contact Responsibilities

• Review all information on the GSI on the WVDE website.
• Establish a county deadline for schools to submit PDF files of student applications and principal recommendations for consideration at the county level. The state submission deadline for counties for the superintendent nomination form is April 11, 2025.
• Share the PDF flyers with all middle and high school principals and counselors to post and share with students and parents.
• The county contact must convene a county selection committee to select two students (male or female) for GSI. Additional nominations may be made based on information within the superintendent’s recommendation form. Please plan accordingly.
• The county contact should complete the superintendent’s recommendation form, ask the superintendent to sign it, and scan it into a PDF file. Please submit the PDF file and the PDF student applications of the nominated students to the state file upload folder.
• Please label the PDF as the county name and 2025 GSIWVU or Green Bank Superintendent Recommendations (i.e. Pocahontas_2025GSIWVU_Superintendent_Recommendations or Pocahontas_2025GSIGreenBank_Superintendent_Recommendations).

Superintendent Recommendation Forms

• GSI WVU Superintendent Recommendation Form
• GSI Green Bank Superintendent Recommendation Form

Submission Folders

• Green Bank State Submission Folder
• WVU State Submission Folder

Apply Online

Thank you for your interest in the GSI at WVU and Green Bank. Please review the qualifications listed below before completing this part of the application.

Required Qualifications

1. Must be a current middle school in West Virginia with plans to attend next school year.
2. Must be a West Virginia resident.
3. Must be a 7th grade student for WVU or an 8th grade student for Green Bank at the time of application.
4. Must not have attended the GSI in the past.
5. Must have a grade-point average of at least 3.0.
6. Must have a recommendation from the school principal (within Part II of the application).
7. Must have a recommendation from a math or science teacher (within Part II of the application).
8. Must have one additional teacher recommendation (within Part II of the application).
9. Must satisfy all immunization requirements according to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (DHHR). Non-public school and homeschooled students must provide proof of immunizations.

WVU Applications

Application Part I (7th Grade Students ONLY)

Complete Part I of the WVU Application online

We recommend collecting all required documents within the application before starting the online form. We do not accept PDF versions of Part I. Please submit this part online only.

You can download and print the PDF version of Part I of the WVU application to prepare your answers before starting the online form.

Part I goes directly to the West Virginia Department of Education (WVDE). Students must complete this part of the application below before beginning Part II.

Application Part II

Part II of the application requires students to type information within the PDF and print pages to be completed by the school counselor and principal. You may fill out the application electronically (using a pdf viewer) or print the PDF to fill out manually.

The school counselor will scan all documents into one file for each student’s application.

A selection committee at the school will determine students who are recommended from each school. Students who are selected will be recommended to the county superintendent for final selection.

The WVDE is not accepting paper submissions of applications. Once the counselor has scanned all required documents into one file for each student, those files will be submitted electronically from the school to the county and then uploaded to the state file submission from the county superintendent’s recommendations. The county contact uploads the county selections to the file submission. 

Green Bank Observatory Applications

Application Part I (8th Grade Students ONLY)

Complete Part I of the Green Bank Observatory Application online

We recommend collecting all required documents within the application before starting the online form. We do not accept PDF versions of Part I. Please submit this part online only.

You can download and print the PDF version of Part I of the Green Bank Observatory application to prepare your answers before starting the online form.

Part I goes directly to the WVDE. Students must complete this part of the application below before beginning Part II.

Application Part II

Part II of the application requires students to type information within the PDF and print pages to be completed by the school counselor and principal.

• Part II Student Application: Non-fillable PDF
• Part II Student Application: Fillable PDF

The school counselor will scan all documents into one file for each student’s application.

A selection committee at the school will determine students who are recommended from each school. Students who are selected will be recommended to the county superintendent for final selection.

The WVDE is not accepting paper submissions of applications. Once the counselor has scanned all required documents into one file for each student, those files will be submitted electronically from the school to the county and then uploaded to the state file submission from the county superintendent’s recommendations. The county contact uploads the county selections to the file submission. 

Parent Information

GSI Green Bank Parent Information

Drop Off and Pickup

Please be advised, parents are required to drop off students on July 6th and pick up students on July 19that the Green Bank Observatory in Green Bank, WV.  

Handbook

The 2025 GSI Handbook will be available soon.

The West Virginia Department of Education maintains a Facebook page to showcase students during each school. Please visit the page to view all the exciting activities going on throughout the summer. 

GSI WVU Parent Information

Drop Off and Pickup

Please be advised, parents are required to drop off students on June 28th or July 20thand pick up students on July 5th or July 27th at West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV.

Handbook and Itinerary

The 2025 GSI Handbook will be available soon.

The West Virginia Department of Education maintains a Facebook page to showcase students during each school. Please visit the page to view all the exciting activities going on throughout the summer. 

Jobs

WVU Positions

Faculty Positions

Any person with experience teaching math, science, or computer science in secondary education interested in working with the program may contact Gretchen Gibson.

Residential Positions

Any current West Virginia University (WVU) student who is a member of the WVU Honors Program and has lived at least one year in the Honors Hall may apply to be a resident assistant during the GSI at WVU.

Interested students may contact Gretchen Gibson.

Green Bank Positions

Faculty Positions

Applications for GSI faculty positions at Green Bank are due by March 31, 2025.

Undergraduate Mentor

Applications for GSI undergraduate mentor positions at Green Bank are due by March 31, 2025.

For questions, please contact the GSI Green Bank Deans:

• Sophie de Saint Georges
• Sue Ann Heatherly