The CSS program is designed to allow a very small number of select and highly qualified undergraduates to have direct access to the very best laboratory research faculty and facilities that can be found at the University of Virginia. Our program is designed to give each student individual attention and close interaction with research faculty. For example: A) All students will have a senior faculty member who will serve as his/her advisor-mentor from the very beginning of their program of study. B) All participants will have the opportunity to become a member of a research lab or group as early as the first semester so that advanced research experience can begin quickly. C) During the first year, all scholars will enroll in the CSS seminar (both fall and spring semesters), where they will meet internationally-renowned science faculty from each of the participating departments, hear talks on issues in the forefront of science, and visit research laboratories, etc.