SPICE Projects
The Student Projects for Intellectual Community Enhancement (SPICE) initiative supports a wide variety of projects across all Stanford schools. While we do not limit project types as long as they adhere to our guidelines, awarded projects tend to fall into one of the categories described below.
One-Time Events
SPICE projects in this category involve one-time events, such as colloquia, conferences, and featured speakers.
Featured Example: Across Air and Space: This one-day colloquium will involve research presentations and discussions from across the engineering spectrum. An invited keynote speaker will highlight the importance of interdisciplinary research, enhance cross-collaboration efforts and improve networking opportunities.
Reading/Research/Writing Groups
SPICE projects in this category involve regular meetings to discuss and/or provide feedback on readings, research, and/or written work on a specific intellectual topic. This can also include speaker series.
Featured Example: Stanford Ocean Networking and Research (SONAR): SONAR is an intellectual community for all marine-interested graduate students through research, collaboration, and discussions. SONAR hosts several events each quarter, including invited seminar speakers, a focused reading group, and graduate research talks.
Mentorship/Community Groups
SPICE projects in this category involve regular meetings to discuss developing transferable skills and/or support in a particular field. This can also include speaker series.
Featured Example: Community College Outreach Program (CCOP): CCOP is a fully trainee-led program, where 150+ Stanford PhD students and postdocs collaborate on initiatives across schools to create scientific training opportunities for talented community college students with limited access to research. Through CCOP programming and mentoring opportunities, Stanford trainees learn to effectively lead, train, and teach, complementing scientific training with organizational leadership and civic engagement.
Single-Project Initiatives
SPICE projects in this category do not quite fit into the other categories, and often include a specific project that participants work on together.
Featured Example: Stanford Jail and Prison Education Project: Since 2012, SJPEP has helped fill the jail programming gap, connecting 40+ Stanford students per quarter from 30+ academic disciplines to design, teach, and learn in interdisciplinary courses within Bay Area jails and prisons, reaching hundreds of incarcerated students. Classes include creativity-based courses, seminar series, and book clubs.