In 2003, the National Science Foundation funded a $2 million project to build a research infrastructure by establishing the Basic and Advanced Science and Technology Academies of Research (B A STAR). B A STAR provides students the opportunity to develop technical, teamwork and leadership abilities. Each participant accepted into the program will benefit from the four major components:

• Leadership Development Conference is a weekend retreat. The participants will participate in workshops and activities that will focus on the development of professional and personal leadership skills in group situations.
• The Basic STAR program is an intensive five-week program beginning at the end of June. The program has two primary components. The first is experimental hands on physics. The students will participate in various laboratory experiments, which will help them to discover various physical laws or theorems. The second focus will be on A + hardware- how to build and troubleshoot a computer. At the completion of this component the students will receive a stipend.
• The Advance STAR programs will take place in the following summer. These programs will group the students who have completed the Basic STAR by major and give them the opportunity to work on various projects related to their major.