The Virginia Earth System Science Scholars (VESSS) program is an interactive online science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning experience for Virginia high school juniors and seniors, highlighted by a seven-day residential summer academy at NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Students selected to participate in the program are immersed in NASA-related research, focusing on the Earth’s responses to changes in climate, weather, and natural hazards, through interaction with scientists, engineers, and technologists.