Summer Science Program (SSP), a nonprofit offering an advanced science immersion experience to exceptional high school students, has announced a gift of nearly $200 million from the estate of Franklin Antonio, co-founder of Qualcomm and an alumnus of the program, who died in 2022.

SSP offers motivated and high-achieving rising seniors from around the world the opportunity to participate in rigorous, collaborative research projects in astrophysics, biochemistry, and genomics at scientific research universities in the United States. SSP is designed to foster diversity in STEM fields by providing need-blind financial aid and identifying participants based on both academic and personal factors, including adversity faced and overcome.

The bequest will help SSP strengthen and expand its existing programs, create new ones, and expand the impact and reach of the organization, especially to students who may not have been aware of or had the means to participate in it previously. With the funds, SSP will continue to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for scientific inquiry.

“We are incredibly humbled by and grateful for this generous gift from Antonio,” said SSP chief executive Frank Steslow. “Antonio was an exemplary person, and we're proud to call him an SSP alum. The bequest from his estate will profoundly improve our ability to accelerate the social and intellectual development of our next generation of scientists. Importantly, we'll be able to support bright students who've been historically excluded from high-caliber science education.”

(Photo credit: Summer Science Program)