
Marla Geha is on a mission to chart a new pathway for US-enlisted military veterans who dream of working in science.
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor and Yale University astrophysicist is passionate about STEM education, and she believes that a single stint doing research in a lab gives a veteran the confidence needed to stick with that dream. After all, Geha has seen firsthand how veterans – many of whom spend their military years working in science, engineering, or medical support roles – often return to civilian life unsure of how to apply their unique experiences to a pertinent academic degree.
According to a 2021 White House Office of Science and Technology Policy reportexternal link, opens in a new tab, approximately 43 percent of military veterans at some point pursue a STEM major, but only eight percent of the veteran workforce is employed in STEM occupations. The report notes that the primary reasons for this gap include limited awareness of pathways to STEM education and careers, and challenges with “translating education and skills gained during military service” into those same pathways.
Geha saw an opportunity to address this gap. In 2017, she was named an HHMI Professor and received $1 million over five years to establish the Research Experience for Veteran Undergraduates programexternal link, opens in a new tab (REVU). Officially launched in 2019, this nine-week summer research program at Yale immerses a select group of veterans in the scientific life. Together with REVU program manager Jeremy Bradford, Geha connects participating veterans with Yale faculty and their lab groups on a research project that aligns with their specific scientific interests. In addition to their lab project, REVU fellows engage in an active professional development program aimed at honing the skills necessary to be successful in STEM. Throughout the experience, participants work, study, and explore on-campus life together, forging bonds only fellow veterans can share.
Geha recognized the importance of these relationships, despite having no prior connections to the military herself. Nearly a decade ago, she stumbled on a Yale Daily News article about the Warrior-Scholar Projectexternal link, opens in a new tab (WSP), an initiative launched by three Yale alumni. WSP – for which Bradford now serves as director of operations – has since grown into a major nonprofit, offering college preparatory bootcamps and other resources across the US to position veterans for success in college.
Geha was inspired; in 2013, she launched a two-hour science crash course for WSP which, in 2016, expanded into a one-week STEM program that now a dozen campuses host each summer. “The impact of the Warrior-Scholar Project was so immediate and so powerful,” says Geha, noting that alumni routinely describe their WSP experience as “life-changing.” But, Geha realized that WSP was only designed to facilitate the transition from the military into an undergraduate degree program. As such, she began to look for similar programs that could provide continued support for enlisted veterans as they progress through their undergraduate studies in STEM and consider graduate school or employment.
But Geha’s search yielded few options. Although many higher education and nonprofit institutions offer scholarships or other financial support for veterans, very few provide veterans with hands-on research experience during their undergraduate years. In 2020, Congress passed the Supporting Veterans in STEM Careers Actexternal link, opens in a new tab, through which the National Science Foundation offers several programs – including undergraduate research supplements – to help veterans transition into STEM careers. But, more momentum is needed, says Geha.
Currently, there is a lack of available data to track exactly how many enlisted veterans enrolled in a STEM degree pathway go on to work in STEM after graduating. But, what is known is that many veterans transition to undergraduate studies and then find out they’re not the typical student, Geha says. Veterans who once served as medical laboratory technicians or engineers suddenly struggle to find hands-on learning opportunities more often reserved for graduate students or postdocs, who are typically closer to their own age. HHMI has long supported undergraduate institutions in establishing hands-on research experiences – particularly for first- and second-year students. Among such efforts are HHMI’s Science Education Alliance (SEA) research projects, such as the SEA-PHAGES programexternal link, opens in a new tab, which is jointly administered by HHMI Professor Graham Hatfull at the University of Pittsburgh.
“One of the biggest challenges we face with recruiting applicants to REVU is that many student veterans talk themselves out of applying in the first place,” Geha says. “They tell themselves, ‘No, I’m not good enough.’ But, if they connect with someone who has been where they have been and who has succeeded in the program – and if that person can say to them, ‘I’m doing this even though I never thought I could’ – then that can make all the difference.”
To date, 24 US veterans have completed the REVU program at Yale, advancing research in areas ranging from plant biology to immunotherapy design to astrophysics. Thus far, the majority of the program’s participants are still completing their undergraduate studies; three REVU alums have since been accepted into medical school, while others weigh their options for graduate school or employment in STEM. Half of the 2022 REVU program graduates returned to Yale’s campus last summer to support the most recent cohort as they presented their final research posters.
Although REVU is one of the only programs of its kind tailored specifically for undergraduate veterans, Geha and Bradford hope other programs with similar missions will follow, Geha says.
“REVU is more than just an academic endeavor; it’s a transformative experience for veterans and an inspiration to myself and everyone involved,” Geha says. “This program not only bridges the gap between military service and academia, but it also fosters a sense of belonging and
community, ultimately changing the lives of everyone who participates.”
HHMI thanks REVU alums Kenneth Simmons, Jr., Trinh “Isabelle” Phan, and Ashley Vanegas for sharing their stories with us.