The Lamat (“star” in Mayan) Program recruits students primarily from community colleges, where the main selection criteria will be outstanding academic accomplishments and promise of future achievement. Each year, ten selected interns work closely with mentors at UCSC and take part in an intensive eight-week introduction to astrophysical research methods and tools with an emphasis on computational astrophysics and astronomical instrumentation. The overall goal of the program is not to solely train the next generation scientists but to use astrophysical simulations and astronomical instrumentation as an exciting medium for imparting a broad array of technical skills to the participants.

The program will increase the retention and graduation rates for students enrolled in two-year colleges through inquiry-based learning of concepts related to astronomy and planetary sciences, using state-of-art astrophysical simulations and astronomical instrumentation as a common pillar. Through a comprehensive program of research instruction, mentoring, workshops, and support programs at UCSC, students will develop additional skills to advance their educations and careers. As high-performance computing becomes a routine tool, industry and government will seek graduates with expertise in this field.