virtual research programs for high school students

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31 Research Opportunities + Internships for High Schoolers in 2024

What’s covered:.

Research Opportunities and Internships for High School Students
How to Find Research Opportunities in High School
How Will Doing Research Impact Your College Chances?

Research drives innovation across every field of study, from natural sciences to health to history. Pursuing curiosity can impact industries, drive policy, and help us to better understand the world around us. Without curiosity and research, our society would surely stagnate.

Contrary to popular belief, however, you don’t have to be a seasoned professional to conduct meaningful research. There are plenty of opportunities for high school students to get a head start on their future careers and contribute to substantial change. Keep reading to learn about 30 great opportunities for students looking for early chances to conduct research!

Research Opportunities and Internships for High School Students

1. memorial sloan kettering human oncology and pathogenesis program.

Application Deadline: February 9

Location: New York, NY

Duration: Eight weeks (June 27 – August 22)

Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) is one of the most well-known cancer centers in the world. The Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program (HOPP) at MSK hosts a Summer Student Program for students to conduct independent research projects while participating in extracurricular activities, training, and other opportunities.

During the eight-week program, participants work with a mentor who will act as a supervisor to help them develop their research skills. Additionally, students have the opportunity to complete an independent research project that aligns with their mentor’s work. All participants will present their projects at a poster session at the end of the summer.

To participate, you must have completed at least 9th grade by June 2024, be at least 14 years old by June 27, have a 3.5 GPA in science subjects, and submit two letters of recommendation. This is a paid opportunity—participants will receive a stipend.

2. Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program

Application Deadline: January 5

Duration: Seven weeks (June 24 – August 8)

The Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program allows high school students to conduct real, innovative research over seven weeks through the renowned Rockefeller University, under the guidance of leading scientists.

SSRP scholars will be able to design and conduct their own research project as part of a themed research track, which is modeled after a Rockefeller research topic and/or technique, with the help of scientist mentors from the Rockefeller community. Most of the research will be conducted in the RockEDU Laboratory—a 3,000-square-foot research space specifically dedicated to developing biomedical research skills.

Students must be at least 16 years old by the start of the program to participate.

3. Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Application Deadline : Varies by cohort. Main summer deadlines are March 15, April 15, and May 15

Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!

Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year

Founded by Harvard & Oxford researchers, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program pairs high-school students with PhD mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project . At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have written an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as medicine, computer science, psychology, physics, economics, data science, business, engineering, biology, and international relations.

This program is designed to accommodate your schedule—you can participate in the summer, fall, winter, or spring, and the program is also conducted fully remotely. While you must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate high academic achievement (most students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3), no previous knowledge of your field of interest is required. The cost of the program ranges from $2,800 to $8,900, but financial aid is available.

Note that this is a selective program. Last year, over 4000 students applied for 500 spots in the program. You can find more details about the application here .

4. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Application Deadline: December 13

Location: Cambridge, MA

Duration: Five weeks (June 23 – August 3)

The prestigious RSI, which takes place at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) annually, brings together 100 of the world’s top high school students. The free program blends on-campus coursework with off-campus science and technology research.

Participants complete individual research projects while receiving mentorship from experienced scientists and researchers, and present their findings through oral and written reports in a conference-style setting at the end of the program.

5. NYU Tandon – Applied Research Innovations in Science and Engineering (ARISE)

Application Deadline: March 6

Duration: 10 weeks (June 3 – August 9)

Open to New York City high school students who will complete 10th or 11th grade in June 2024, the ARISE program provides access to college-level workshops and lab research across fields like bio, molecular, and chemical engineering, robotics, computer science, and AI.

Over the course of 10 weeks—four virtual and six in person—participants will receive guidance from graduate or postdoctoral students at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.

6. Simons Summer Research Program

Application Deadline: February 7

Location: Stony Brook, NY

Duration: Five weeks (July 1 – August 9)

During Stony Brook ’s Simons Summer Research Program, high school students conduct hands-on research in areas like science, math, and engineering while working with faculty mentors. Simons Fellows have the opportunity to join real research teams and learn about laboratory equipment and techniques. They also attend weekly faculty research talks and participate in special workshops, tours, and events.

At the closing poster symposium, students will receive a stipend for their participation. To apply, you must be at least 16 years old by the start of the program and currently be in your junior year.

7. SPARK Summer Mentorship Program

Application Deadline: N/A

Location: Greater Seattle area

Duration: 8-10 weeks

SPARK is a summer mentorship program that pairs high-achieving and highly motivated high schoolers with industry experts, university professors, and mentors to conduct research on customers and financial markets. The program is only open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

8. MDI Biological Laboratory – Biomedical Bootcamp 2024

Application Deadline: March 18

Location: Bar Harbor, ME

Duration: One week (July 15 – 19)

In this bootcamp, students will receive a hands-on introduction to biomedical research at MDI Biological Laboratory. Participants will learn essential scientific skills such as experimental design and hypothesis testing, cutting-edge laboratory techniques, data analysis, bioinformatics, and scientific communication.

During the program, scientists and bioentrepreneurs at the lab will help participants explore scientific ethics at large, as well as career paths in biomedicine, research, and entrepreneurship in Maine and beyond.

Participants must be at least 16 years old by the start of the program and must be entering their junior or senior year in September 2024, or graduating in June 2024.

9. Boston University – Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) Internship

Application Deadline: February 14

Location: Boston, MA

Duration: Six weeks (June 30 – August 9)

RISE is a six-week program for rising seniors with an interest in pursuing a major and/or career in STEM. There are a multitude of tracks available, in areas such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental science, and neuroscience. In each track, students conduct research under the mentorship of Boston University faculty, postdoctoral fellows, or graduate students. They will also attend weekly workshops with their peers.

10. The Wistar Institute – High School Program in Biomedical Research

Application Deadline: March 31

Location: Philadelphia, PA

Duration: Four weeks (July 15 – August 8)

A leading biomedical research organization, The Wistar Institute is an ideal setting for students to learn research skills. Participants will complete their own research project while being trained in a principal investigator’s laboratory. They’ll also attend seminars, receive mentorship, and deliver a final presentation about their work.

Students are expected to participate Monday through Thursday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Absences of more than two consecutive days cannot be accommodated. Students will receive a stipend of $1,000 upon completion of the program, to compensate for commuting costs or other personal expenses accrued during the program.

11. California Academy of Sciences – Careers in Science (CiS) Intern Program

Application Deadline: April 1, 2024

Location: San Francisco, CA

Duration: Multi-year, year-round participation (after school and on weekends)

This long term program gives San Francisco students from communities that are underrepresented in STEM the opportunity to learn about the world of science and sustainability. Students receive mentorship, develop career skills, and more—all while getting paid for their work. Students also attend workshops and conferences throughout the course of the program.

12. NASA OSTEM Internship

Application Deadline: February 2

Location: Varies

Duration: Varies

NASA offers a variety of internships for high school students across its numerous campuses. Interns gain real-world work experience by working side by side with research scientists and engineers, which will strengthen their resume and help prepare them for their eventual careers. All participants must be at least 16 years old and enrolled in high school full time.

13. New-York Historical Society Student Historian Internship Program

Application Deadline: April 7

Duration: July 9 – August 15

Not all research is conducted in STEM subjects! Developed for students interested in history, the New-York Historical Society’s Student Historian Program gives participants the opportunity to conduct research on a history topic—2024’s theme is Our Composite Nation: Frederick Douglass’ America . During the program, participants will work with historian mentors, visit history archives around New York City, lead gallery tours, and develop their historical thinking, communication, and digital media skills.

Applicants must be entering grades 10, 11, or 12, and live in the New York City metro area. This opportunity is unpaid for most participants, but some interns with demonstrated financial need can potentially receive a stipend.

14. Adler Planetarium Summer High School Internship

Application Deadline: March 1

Location: Chicago, IL

Duration: Six weeks (July 8 – August 14)

During this summer internship program, students will learn about the Adler Planetarium and the career opportunities within it and planetariums and museums in general, in areas ranging from Visitor Experience and Learning to Research. Students will also get the chance to see how research gets translated into a museum experience.

15. Zuckerman Institute Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia University (BRAINYAC)

Application Deadline: TBA for 2025 program

Duration: Eight weeks

BRAINYAC participants receive the rare opportunity to work on research in a lab at Columbia University , one of the most prestigious institutions in the world, as high school students, which results in a stronger, more comprehensive understanding of how scientific discovery happens. They connect with real scientists, acquire essential research and laboratory skills, and learn about advances in neuroscience research.

In order to apply, you must be in 10th or 11th grade and must be nominated by one of the program’s partners—S-PREP, Lang Youth Medical, Double Discovery Center, Columbia Secondary School, or BioBus.

16. Brookfield Zoo King Conservation Science Scholars Program

Application Deadline: Rolling admission

Location: Brookfield, IL

Duration: N/A

Interactive workshops, fun activities, research, and community-based projects are at the core of this exciting internship. It’s an excellent opportunity for students who love animals and also want to gain research skills in the domains of zoology, environmental science, and conservation.

As a King Scholar, you’ll learn about different topics through Foundation Courses, such as Diversity Awareness and Introduction to Conservation, all while networking with others and preparing for college and an eventual career in a related field. After one year of participation, you’ll be invited to apply for scholarships and paid positions at the zoo.

17. The Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) at the American Museum of Natural History

Application Deadline: March 8

Duration: One year (August to June)

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the most iconic and fascinating places in New York City. Its Science Research Mentoring Program is an amazing opportunity for NYC high school students to conduct a yearlong research project with Museum scientists.

Students in SRMP get paid to learn how scientific research is conducted. Depending on their topic of study, students can learn a variety of different research skills, like working with DNA in the lab, analyzing data from space-based telescopes, reading scientific articles, and learning to code and analyze data in Python, R, and other programming languages.

18. Anson L. Clark Scholars Program

Application Deadline: February 15

Location: Lubbock, TX

Duration: Seven weeks (June 16 – August 1)

Through the Anson L. Clark Scholar Program, an intensive seven-week summer research program for twelve highly qualified high school juniors and seniors, students will gain hands-on experience with practical research alongside experienced and knowledgeable faculty at Texas Tech University .

Students can choose to participate in research in one field from a broad variety of options, including cell and molecular biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, engineering, history, and more!

To apply, students must complete an online application that includes short essays, high school transcripts, test scores (at least a PSAT if no others are available), three recommendations (at least two from teachers), and a list of the student’s top five activities.

19. UChicago Data Science Institute Summer Lab Program

Application Deadline: January 16

Duration: Eight weeks (June 10 – August 2)

The Data Science Institute Summer Lab Program is an immersive eight-week paid summer research program at the University of Chicago . During the program, high school and undergraduate students are paired with a data science mentor, whose expertise could be in computer science, data science, social science, climate and energy policy, public policy, materials science, biomedical research, or another related field.

Participants will hone their research methodology, research practice, and teamwork skills. No prior research experience is required to apply. All participants will receive access to applied data science research, which they will use to craft a research project. The project findings will be presented in a video that will be shown at an end-of-summer symposium.

20. UT Austin College of Natural Sciences High School Research Academy

Application Deadline: March 24

Location: Austin, TX

Duration: Five weeks (June 10 – July 17)

Through UT Austin ’s HSRA, high school students participate in interdisciplinary research projects being conducted by active College of Natural Sciences laboratories in fields such as biochemistry, biology, environmental science, genetics, neuroscience, genome engineering, data analytics, ecology, and more.

There is a scholarship fund for underserved groups, so some stipends and free tuition scholarships may be available to students with demonstrated financial need.

21. Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience – Summer Research Internship

Location: Jupiter, FL

Duration: Six weeks (June 17 – July 26)

The MPFI Summer Research Internship offers rising juniors and seniors an immersive laboratory experience where they can learn from seasoned researchers. The program is designed specifically for students with an interest in brain structure, function and development, and the advanced imaging techniques and technologies used in neuroscience.

Program participants will participate in research projects alongside MPFI scientists, prepare a written scientific abstract based on their research project, and deliver a short presentation at the end of the summer. Research tracks include neuroscience, scientific computer programming, and mechanical engineering as it relates to neuroscience.

Applicants must be entering their junior or senior years in a Palm Beach or Martin County high school, be residents of one of those two counties, and be at least 16 by the beginning of the internship. Interns will be paid at a rate of $12.50 per hour.

22. Lincoln Park Zoo Malott Family Zoo Intern Program

Application Deadline: March 11

Duration: Seven weeks (June 24 – August 9)

During this paid seven-week program, high school students learn how to educate others about animal and conservation sciences while crafting digital messages to engage audiences. The program culminates in a final project. Throughout the internship, students meet with researchers and the Animal Care staff to explore careers in the animal science and conservation fields.

Applicants must be Chicago residents between the ages of 15-18, and must be entering grades 10-12 or their freshman year of college by the start of the internship.

23. The Scripps Research High School Internship Program

Application Deadline: April 19

Location: La Jolla, CA

Duration: Seven weeks

The Scripps Research Institute’s La Jolla, California headquarters is proud to offer a seven-week hands-on research experience for San Diego County high schoolers. The program is specially designed to expose students to careers in the biological and chemical sciences, to provide hands-on laboratory experience, and to motivate and prepare students for continuing education in STEM.

Because Scripps is committed to increasing the number of students from underrepresented communities in STEM college programs, a special emphasis is placed on identifying and recruiting students who are from groups that are historically underrepresented in the sciences. All students will receive a $4,760 stipend.

24. QuarkNet Summer Research Program

Application Deadline: January 31

Location: DuPage County, IL

Duration: Seven weeks (June 17 – August 2)

High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors with a strong interest in STEM have a unique opportunity to work with scientists on research projects during this paid seven-week program at the prestigious Fermilab, located just outside of Chicago near Batavia, IL.

Interns are encouraged to indicate areas in which they have a particular interest, although research projects vary yearly based on the work ongoing at the lab. Broadly speaking, Fermilab’s focus is on particle physics.

Required application materials include a questionnaire, a letter of recommendation, and an essay. To apply, students must have U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status and must provide evidence of identity and eligibility to work in the United States. Participants will be paid at a rate of $17.20 per hour.

25. RISE Environmentor Internship

Location: Far Rockaway, NY

Duration: Six weeks (July 1 – August 15)

The Environmentor Internship offers a great opportunity for 9th through 11th graders who live or attend school near the Rockaway Peninsula to gain firsthand research experience. Participants are mentored by scientists from local universities and research institutions as they work on projects focused on the Rockaway shoreline. Past research topics have included sea turtle strandings, octopus behavior, mussel denitrification, and dolphin fin morphology.

Students will also take part in water safety courses, receive CPR training, and explore on-water activities like kayaking and surfing. Students receive up to a $1,200 stipend, as well as community service hours for their participation in the program.

26. Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)

Application Deadline: February 24

Location: Stanford, CA

Duration: Eight weeks (June 10 – August 1)

Students in this summer program are given the chance to perform research on a medically oriented project and work side by side with Stanford University students, researchers, and faculty. Students can choose from eight areas of research, including topics like immunology, cancer biology, and bioinformatics, which are all designed to increase their interest in the biological sciences and provide a deeper understanding of how scientific research is conducted.

The program is open to current high school juniors and seniors. Students will receive a minimum $500 stipend for their participation in the program.

27. Secondary Student Training Program

Application Deadline: February 16

Location: Iowa City, IA

Duration: June 19 – July 26

High schoolers in grades 10 and 11 can take part in an immersive research experience, which will allow them to explore their interests, enhance their academic skills, and build relationships with their peers during this research-focused summer program.

Participants can choose from a multitude of research areas, ranging from biology to industrial and systems engineering to religious studies. The program culminates with students creating and presenting a poster of their findings. All participants will live on the University of Iowa ‘s campus for the duration of the program, and have access to all of the university’s libraries, study areas, and computer facilities.

Although this program is quite expensive, with a fee of $7,500, financial aid is available to cover up to 95% of the cost.

28. Young Scholars Summer STEMM Research Program

Location: Urbana, IL

Duration: Six weeks (June 20 – August 2)

This program, offered by the prestigious Grainger College of Engineering at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) , allows students to gain hands-on research experience in fields such as cancer immunology, AI, physics, quantum mechanics, and electrical engineering. They will also build valuable general life skills by participating in seminars on topics ranging from the college admission process to how to communicate scientifically.

The program is open to rising 10th through 12th graders from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

29. Summer Science Program (SSP)

Duration: Varies depending on location and field of focus

Students in the SSP get the chance to work in small teams on a real research project and gain firsthand experience taking and analyzing data. Research opportunities are offered in three fields—astrophysics, biochemistry, and genomics—and are held at a variety of institutions, including University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Georgetown University , Purdue University , and New Mexico State University .

The program is open to high school juniors, although a small number of exceptional sophomores have attended the program. You must be between 15-19 to participate, and have completed prerequisite coursework, which varies by field. Financial aid is available for this program.

30. The Jackson Laboratory Summer Student Program

Application Deadline: January 29

Location: Bar Harbor, ME, and Farmington, CT

Duration: 10 weeks (June 1 – August 10)

Students immerse themselves in genetics and genomics research while learning about laboratory discovery and scientific communication, as well as building professional skills. Over the course of the 10-week program, students work with a mentor to develop a research project, implement their plan, analyze their data, and report their results.

This prestigious program is competitive. Just 40 students are selected to participate annually. Participants receive a $6,500 stipend and have their room, board, and travel expenses covered.

31. Fred Hutch Summer High School Internship Program

Application Deadline: March 31

Location: Seattle, WA

Duration: Eight weeks (June 24 – August 16)

This full-time, paid internship opportunity offers students a chance to immerse themselves in activities at the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, one of the top cancer research centers in the world. The program begins with two weeks of laboratory training and is followed by six weeks of mentored activities, research seminars, workshops focused on college and careers, and social activities.

The program is open to high schoolers entering their senior year with a strong interest in science and high academic achievement, and is specifically aimed at students from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical science. Interns receive a stipend upon successful completion of the program.

How to Find Research Opportunities in High School

Define your area of interest .

Before you start looking for opportunities, narrow your area of interest a bit, whether it’s cancer, engineering, computer science, neuroscience, or something else entirely. Also bear in mind that while there may be more STEM opportunities available for high school students, research isn’t limited to these fields—research is also a key component of the social sciences, humanities, and other non-STEM fields.

While you should be somewhat specific about what you’re hoping to research, don’t narrow your scope so much that it’s impossible to find a valuable opportunity, especially since opportunities for high schoolers in general are more limited than they are for students who have completed at least some college.

Talk to People in Your Immediate Circle

Teachers, neighbors, your family, parents of friends, friends of your parents—any of these people could know about a research opportunity for you, or at least know someone else who does. Throughout your life, you will find that networking is often the key to finding career opportunities.

Leveraging your network can help you uncover unique opportunities crowdsourced by the people who know you best—the best opportunities aren’t always hosted by large universities or programs.

Reach Out to Local Institutions and Laboratories

In addition to networking with your immediate circle, reach out to local facilities, such as labs, hospitals, clinics, and universities that conduct research. Even if opportunities aren’t publicized, these institutions and laboratories may be willing to make room for you. Remember: when pitching your idea, don’t make it too niche—this will make it more difficult to find a fit and market your skills to labs.

Cast a Wide Net

Research opportunities are hard to secure, especially when you’re a young student, so you need to be persistent. You may need to write a hundred emails, but if you put in the effort and cast a wide net, you’ll vastly improve your chances of landing a great opportunity.

Try not to be too picky, either. Of course, you shouldn’t just accept any offer , especially if it doesn’t appeal to you. But even if the opportunity doesn’t align perfectly with your skills and interests, it can still be a great chance to gain experience and make you a better candidate for future experiences.

How Will Doing Research Impact Your College Chances?

How much participating in research enhances your college admissions profile depends on many factors, including the scope of the project, the prestige of the program or institution, your individual role and performance, the institution’s connections to or sponsorships by certain colleges, and even how much weight a college places on extracurricular activities in general.

Generally speaking, there are four tiers of extracurricular activities that colleges think about when reviewing applicants’ activities. Selective, competitive, and prestigious activities are often found in the top tiers, Tier 1 and Tier 2. Tier 1 includes things such as being a highly recruited basketball player or an award-winning national science fair competitor.

Tier 2 is similar, but is usually reserved for activities that are less exceptional than those in Tier 1. Tiers 3 and 4 are reserved for more common extracurricular achievements, such as holding school leadership positions or being a member of a debate team.

Research usually falls into Tier 2, and some particularly prestigious opportunities could even be Tier 1. That’s because it’s somewhat unusual for high school students to conduct research in professional and collegiate settings, so it’s more likely to impress colleges than other kinds of extracurricular activities.

Do you want to find out the impact research and other extracurricular activities might have on your chances of admission to top colleges and universities? Try using CollegeVine’s free chancing calculator !

Our tool evaluates your admissions profile, by accounting for factors like your grades,standardized test scores, and extracurriculars (including research!) to show you how you stack up against other applicants and how likely you are to get into hundreds of different colleges and universities. You’ll also receive tips on how to improve your profile and your odds—all for free.

Disclaimer: This post includes content sponsored by Lumiere Education.

Welcome to Indigo Research , formerly known as Crimson Research Institute (CRI)! You’ve been redirected here from our old website, but don’t worry, we’re still the same team committed to providing our students with the highest quality research experience.

Explore research innovate publish with indigo.

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Academic journals that have published our students’ work

Mentors from the world's leading universities

Indigo Research is the premier provider of academic research mentorship for students in high school and college

Why research.

virtual research programs for high school students

To get into a great college you have to build a 3 dimensional profile

How indigo research supports students, turn passion into publication, cultivate intellectual curiosity outside class, transform your university applications, forge connections with elite academics, earn college credit from ucsb, indigo alumni admission rates, why students and parents choose indigo.

First, research with us. Then, get admitted to top schools.

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“Working with a professor gave me more freedom and independence in decision making and where I wanted to take the project. The expertise also meant that I could always have ideas reviewed and concepts clarified. My experience with Indigo Research has been truly unique and insightful and has allowed me to push my own interests beyond my original boundaries”

“This program allowed me to acquire knowledge in the field of organizing research work, to understand how the task is formulated and the experiment is conducted. Doing research opens up a new vision of many subjects. For me this is the story of the development of my passion for Computer Science, as well as the discovery of a new interest in mathematics”

“This course has given me the opportunities to improve my skills, to connect with experienced mentors, and has taught me how to better manage my time. I'd recommend this program to future students because it gave me valuable experience for the future. I plan to go into neurosurgery, so taking this course gave me a detailed look at what I'd be dealing with”

“Research is a journey of learning and discovering, and you should definitely maximize the experience by picking an interesting and challenging topic. Don’t pick a topic that is too complicated though. Know your limits, and don’t make yourself feel pressured. Most importantly, be sure to enjoy the experience!”

“Working with my mentor and with Indigo Research has deepened my understanding of the publishing process and of conducting research. I've gained invaluable insight into academic medicine”

“It’s been great working with my Indigo Research Mentor! I have been able to learn from his experience with research projects, learn about a new field of research, and incorporate some tips my mentor has figured out along the way in his PhD in my research project”

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Research interests: Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Catalysis, Carbon-Based Materials

Vladimir graduated from Moscow State University, Chemistry Department in 2017, during his Bachelor/Master. He has visited Utrecht University to study solid-state NMR and its application for protein research, Friedrich-Alexander University to work on synthesis of sp2-carbon-based materials, and Novartis to work on bioconjugates. In 2018, he moved to Friedrich-Alexander University to continue his studies on carbon materials as a PhD student. After his thesis defense in 2019, he began his Postdoc at Martin-Luther University to work on heterogeneous catalysis. In 2022, he joined Pentelute group at MIT, where he is currently working on peptide-protein interactions and drug development.

Research interests: Russian Language and Literature, Russian History, African Literature and History, Philosophy, Comparative Literature, European History

Professor Jeanne-Marie J. research spans Russian language and literature, Russian history, African literature and history, Philosophy, Comparative literature, and European history. Her first book, South African Literature's Russian Soul, is centrally concerned with how Russia's nineteenth-century "Golden Age" of literature and ideas provides a model for the study of South African realist forms and epistemologies, both during and after apartheid. Her second book, The African Novel of Ideas, tells a story of how the novel has negotiated between liberal selfhood and awareness of liberalism's failings across key African intellectual contexts.

Research interests: Machine Learning, Computer Systems, Bioinformatics

Dr. Eric S. has BS, MS, and PhD degrees from Cornell University. His research includes work in dynamical systems, machine learning, system theory, computer systems, communications systems and bioinformatics. He is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Morgan State University, a public research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Eric S. also has a breadth of industry experience in the fields of pattern recognition, machine learning, speech recognition, signal processing and power systems. He has been a participating member of the IEEE, Sigma Xi, and Sigma Pi Sigma. Dr. Eric S. is currently working on machine learning techniques for financial data analysis and blockchain applications and is currently a member of the Morgan State University Fintech Center for Blockchain Technology.

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Home › University › 10 Best Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students

10 Best Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students

Published May 1, 2024

Education is now more accessible than ever before, with globalisation playing a big part in the fact that students can study all over the world. You may have your sights set on top universities and colleges, such as Oxbridge or Ivy League institutions. However, these are competitive arenas.

Fortunately, technology has also increased access to education in different ways. High school-level students can now prepare themselves for university with research programs, many of which are online. As a result, you can study from a distance and take courses in your favourite subjects, taught by tutors from the world’s best educational institutes.

We have put together a list of the ten best virtual research opportunities for high school students. First, though, let’s explore what these programmes entail and how they work.

What Are Virtual Research Opportunities? How Do They Work?

Virtual research programs involve further education-style courses that teach you some of the skills you’ll need for university. Crucially, these courses take place online. Some allow you to work at your own pace, while others allow you to attend real-time virtual classes.

There are virtual research programmes available for a huge range of courses, and their scope varies depending on the subject. For example, there are virtual research opportunities for medical students that cover some theory and analysis in place of lab-based study. Many medical students opt for in-person lab programs to help them develop their experimental skills. However, learning how to hypothesise and ask questions is just as valuable a skill, so if you don’t live near a top university, there are still options for you to study.

No matter your area of interest, there will be an online course to suit you. Make sure you look into the course duration, cost, and areas of study before choosing one. That way, you can find one that’s most valuable for the subject you intend to study at university.

10 Best Virtual Online Research Opportunities for Students

Below are Immerse Education’s top ten picks, catering to a wide variety of subjects.

1. Immerse Education

Immerse Education specialises in educational experiences for students with their sights set on Oxbridge and Ivy League colleges. With immersive programs, Immerse provides the perfect online research opportunities for summer.

The Oxbridge and Ivy League Online Research Programme sees students receive tuition from an Oxbridge or Ivy League tutor.

Students can choose a topic that interests them, with subject areas including:

Architecture
Creative Writing

Whether participants choose 1-1 tuition options – Classic and Accredited Online Research Programme or the Group Accredited programme which is taught in small groups, there is a programme tailored to their needs. It is worth noting that both the Accredited and Group Accredited Online Research Programmes award participants 8 UCAS points upon completion.

Duration: 10-15 hours

Price: £695 – £3995

2. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Founded by scholars from Harvard and Oxford, the Lumiere Research Program allows students to engage in an independently-developed research project. Students have the chance to work one-on-one with a mentor.

The program allows students to study a range of topics, including STEM subjects and humanities or social sciences. Expert mentors from Ivy League colleges will support you throughout.

There are three course options:

Individual Research Program
Premium Research and Publication Program
Lumiere Research Fellowship

The former helps you craft a college-level academic paper. Meanwhile, the latter two may lead to a publication in a journal. At the end of both of these courses, the Lumiere Program supports students to submit their papers to academic journals, potentially giving them a leg up into the world of academia.

Duration: 12 weeks (Individual Research) to 12 months (Fellowship)

Price: $2800 – $8400

3. Cambridge Future Scholar Program

Run by the Cambridge Centre for International Research (CCIR), the Future Scholar Program is for small groups of students. It is taught by current teachers at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, MIT, Stanford, and a handful of others.

Students on this program can choose from 34 courses, including options in STEM, Business, and Social Sciences. Then, they are taught in small groups of 2-5 for a whole semester (13 weeks) as they complete an independent research project.

At the end, students also receive a letter of recommendation from the faculty member who taught them.

Duration: 13 weeks

Price: £5300

4. Indigo Research High School Research Program

Indigo Research offers several courses, one of which is for high school students . It pairs students one-on-one with professors from top universities in both the US and the UK. Then, students get the chance to embark on their own research projects.

Indigo is renowned for having exceptionally strict requirements for its mentors, so students are guaranteed to get great tutors. The one-on-one format means that students can study any project they’re passionate about.

There are three course types: Explorer, Researcher, and Innovator. No matter which you choose, you have 100% flexibility. You can start your project at any time and set meetings according to your own schedule.

Duration: 3 months – 18 months

Price: From $3700

5. BETA Camp

For students interested in business, BETA Camp is the perfect online course. This unique four-week course helps you to plan and launch a real business.

Styled on an MBA, BETA Camp helps young entrepreneurs to understand how to write a business plan, research, market, and pitch their startup to investors. Many alumni from the program have secured internships at multinational companies like TikTok.

Mentors, guest speakers, and judges come from huge companies, too, giving you a chance to network with the best of the best.

Duration: 4 weeks

Price: $3000

6. Harvard Secondary School Program (SSP)

The Harvard Summer School Secondary School Program is a great way to prep for any top university. Harvard Summer School offers over 200 courses, which means you can study whatever you want. Students can even study multiple courses, worth four credits each toward your college application.

89% of students who took one of these courses said it helped them decide what to study in college. That’s no surprise when you consider the breadth of courses available, from Comedy Sketch Writing to astrophysics options.

Duration: 7 weeks

Price: $3700 per course, plus a $75 application fee

7. Polygence

Polygence is an expert when it comes to mentorship, offering several programs for high school students. This includes the Core Program , a 10-week deep dive into a topic of your choice with one-on-one mentorship.

Not only will you learn how to devise and research a project, but you’ll also get the chance to present your findings at a bi-annual conference.

There are also Pods, 6-week courses taught in small groups. This is better suited to students with a shorter time frame.

Duration: 3-5 months

Price: $2695

8. Brown University Leadership Institute

Brown University has a pre-college program specifically for students passionate about social justice. The Leadership Institute connects students in small groups to discuss complex social issues. Together, they devise potential solutions to contemporary problems.

Throughout the course, students can learn active listening, conflict resolution, problem-solving, teamwork, and public speaking. They develop an action plan, which they can use as part of their college transcript.

Price: $5313

9. Veritas AI’s AI Fellowship

Veritas AI, run by Lumiere Education, hosts a research program for students passionate about artificial intelligence (AI). The AI Fellowship teaches students collaborative learning and project development through one-on-one mentorship.

Designed and run by Harvard graduate students and alumni, the course helps students engage in an independent AI research project. Students can combine AI with any of their other interests or passions, such as medicine, environment, or finance. The course lasts 12-15 weeks and gives students ample time to work on their project.

There is also a shorter 10-week AI Scholars program, which costs $1790. Students can take both courses for a combined cost of $4700.

Duration: 12-15 weeks

Price: $4900

10. Emory University Pre-College Program

Emory University College of Arts and Sciences offers a great program for students interested in a variety of fields. There are over 100 courses available, each taught by experts in the field.

Some of the courses are incredibly interesting, with unique options such as:

Video Game Narrative 101
The Biology of How We Sense the World
Rome, Interrupted: Exploring the Last Days of Pompei

Students can take non-credit courses with fellow high schoolers, lasting 2-4 weeks. Or, they can take six-week courses with Emory undergraduates that are worth 3-4 credits.

By the end, students will have a fantastic understanding of real college courses.

Duration: 2-6 weeks

Price: $3135 – $7567 plus fees

Benefits of Online Research Opportunities

Online research opportunities for high school students are worth looking into if you want to attend a top university. Taking part in one will help to ready you for university. Here’s how.

Makes you a competitive applicant: Getting into a top university is challenging, so you need your application to stand out. Evidence of independent research can be really helpful. This is especially true for courses like medicine, where nearly 60% of incoming students participated in an apprenticeship while studying.
Helps you adjust: University education can be tough. You’ll need to develop a lot of time management and organisational skills, and you’ll need to push yourself to succeed. A summer programme can help you prepare by teaching you the skills you need. It also shows prospective universities that you’re willing to work hard.
Lets you contribute to your field: If there’s a topic you’re really passionate about, a research program allows you to explore it in depth. Not only do you get to learn more, but you can potentially contribute to your chosen field. For prospective universities, this shows that you’re mature, smart, and can think outside the box.
Teaches you new skills: You can learn a variety of new skills depending on your course. Generally, you’ll develop research skills, analytical skills, and writing skills. However, you may also learn a variety of other things that are useful for your field. Depending on when you take the course, this may help you with your high school exam scores. At the very least, it will prepare you for university.

There are often options to take courses like this in person, so what are the benefits of doing it online? Virtual research opportunities often have a lower cost compared to in-person programmes. This is because you don’t have to pay for accommodation while studying away from home, or any of the other costs associated with that.

Furthermore, you don’t have to work out any of the travel logistics, which is more convenient. Some programs even offer complete flexibility, which means you can complete your research in your own time and fit it around your schedule. This is a great way to learn independent time management, and it ensures you don’t have to sacrifice any of your other extracurriculars.

Apply to an Online Research Programme with Immerse

If you’re looking into virtual research opportunities , you’re already on the right track. The right course can help you develop the skills you need to excel at university.

These programmes allow you to enhance your knowledge in a topic you’re passionate about while gaining expert advice from academics who know all about your chosen institution.

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Top 30 Online High School Research Programs in Summer

Madeleine Karydes

Lead admissions expert, table of contents, high school research programs.

Stay up-to-date on the latest research and college admissions trends with our blog team.

Top 30 Online High School Research Programs in Summer

Are you looking for online research opportunities for high school students in STEM for the summertime? While the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine may have arrived, most won’t access it until mid-2021. By extension, this means many high school students will be looking to participate in activities online this summer. Due to the strain on medical facilities following major COVID waves, high school summer research programs in person will be limited.

So, what are your options, other than taking an e-course in which you learn in a traditional classroom setting? Why not try a more hands-on research program? (Although, for safety, in this case, hands-on means virtually.) Virtual summer programs and research opportunities for high school students are out there! Let’s discuss online research opportunities for your upcoming mid-year break.

Firstly, let’s take a look at how one of these online research opportunities for high school students can help you.

STEM research programs offer participants the chance to be actively involved in either group or individual research projects. In some cases, projects are combined with lectures in specific STEM subjects. In fact, in these unique high school summer research programs, the combined instruction overlaps with research work. And best of all, an experienced mentor or supervisor paired with each student group can help guide the tangible research process to be educational.

However, these summer research programs for high school students tend to be more competitive than traditional extracurricular activities. Often, the material itself requires some prior knowledge. Beyond this, in many high school summer research programs, applicants need to meet a GPA requirement and/or take specific high school courses to apply. In addition, they also tend to be targeted at students in the last two to three years of high school. Nonetheless, if you think you’re up to the challenge, seeking online research opportunities for high school students will give you a jump start on the process in college.

In future summers, many colleges believe that COVID restrictions will still be in place. As a result, they offer their high school summer research opportunities and programs online. Others have not yet made a decision but will offer online learning if restrictions still apply. Either way: virtual summer programs are a great way to expand your academic portfolio. Because of recent changes, if these competitive programs interest you, then take a look at our top 30 list of online research programs for opportunities open to you below!

Top 30 Online Summer Research Programs, High School

Firstly, option one:

1. Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program

Online in 2021 .

About: The Rockefeller University Summer Science Research Program (SSRP) provides high school students with a unique and personalized opportunity to conduct hands-on research. For instance, students study under the mentorship of leading scientists at great research facilities. Overall, during this rigorous 7-week program, students immerse themselves in scientific culture while gaining an appreciation for discovery.

Deadline: 1/4/2021

Length: 6 weeks

Age: Minimum age of 16 years old

Cost: Free, stipend paid

2. Simons Summer Research Program

About : Similarly, the Simons Summer Research Program gives high school students the opportunity to engage in hands-on research. Research subjects include science, math, or engineering. In addition, Simons Fellows work with distinguished faculty mentors, learn laboratory techniques and tools, become part of active research teams, and experience life at a research university.

Deadline: Opens late Jan 2021; last year’s deadline was 1/22/2020

Length : 6 weeks

3. Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory – High School Student Summer Research Fellowship

Possibly online in 2021. if not, salisbury cove, me ..

About : Like the first two, MDI Biological Laboratory offers summer research fellowship opportunities for high school students with an interest in developing scientific research skills. MDI welcomes applicants who desire hands-on, research training experience within an advanced laboratory.

Deadline: Teacher nomination due 1/8/2021

Length : 10 weeks

Age: Minimum age of 16; must be nominated by a teacher before the student can initiate an application.

4. Secondary Student Training Program at the University of Iowa

On-campus and online options in 2021 due to covid-19..

About : This is a unique 5 ½ week-long research experience for highly capable students. Participants conduct scientific research under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Thus, students spend approximately 40 hours a week working in labs on The University of Iowa campus.

Deadline: 2/18/2021

Length : 5 weeks

Age: Current 10-11th graders

Cost: $6,395

Next on the list?

5. Center for Excellence in Education – Research Science Institute

Possibly online in 2021. if not, cambridge, ma..

Deadline: 1/16/2021

About : Each summer, 80 students gather at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the Research Science Institute (RSI). In contrast to others, RSI is the first cost-free summer science & engineering program to combine on-campus coursework in scientific theory with off-campus work in science and technology research.

Length : 7 weeks

Age: Rising 12th graders

6. Broad Summer Scholars Program

Possibly online in 2021. if not, boston, ma..

Deadline: 1/22/2021

About : The Broad Summer Scholars Program invites high school students with a strong interest in science to spend six weeks at the Broad Institute. Then, they match students with Broad scientists to conduct research projects in a variety of specialties.

Age: Rising 12th graders attending a high school in the greater Boston area

7. NIH – Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research (HS SIP)

Possibly online in 2021. if not, several campuses including bethesda, md.

About : The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides an opportunity to spend a summer working at the NIH side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world. Accordingly, these students work in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research.

Deadline: 2/1/2021

Length : Minimum 8 weeks

Age: Minimum age of 17

Cost: Free, paid a stipend

8. UCSD – Academic Connections Research Scholar s

About : The UCSD Research Scholars program allows up to about 25 total students to each work individually with a UCSD Faculty researcher. They will do so in an actual Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biology, or Nanotechnology lab on campus. In this case, this program offers both winter and summer sessions for these online summer programs.

Deadline: Rolling admissions. In fact, the application is open now for the winter session.

Age: Rising 10-12th graders

Cost: $4,200

9. Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship

Possibly online in 2021. if not, fairfax, va..

About : As can be seen, students work one-on-one with researchers at George Mason University or collaborating institutions. Hence, students will use state-of-the-art technology to solve hypothesis-driven questions in a variety of STEM and related fields.

Deadline: 1/31/2021

Length : 7.5 weeks

Age: Minimum age of 16

Still, are you looking for more suggestions?

10. IndianaU – Simon Cancer Center Summer Research Program

Possibly online in 2021. if not, indianapolis, in.

About : The IU Simon Cancer Center Summer Research Program (SRP) aims to increase the number of under-represented high school and undergraduate students. Specifically, this program is for students pursuing biomedical and behavioral science careers. In order to do this, IU supports these students by providing first-hand exposure to these fields.

Deadline: 2/14/2021

Length 8 weeks

Age: Current 12th graders. Additionally, preference is given to students from Indianapolis

11. CHORI – Cystic Fibrosis Summer Research Program

About : The CHORI Summer Student Research Program allows students to immerse themselves in basic and/or clinical research for three months during the summer. More importantly, the program pairs students with one or two CHORI PIs who serve as mentors, guiding the students through all phases of research. As such, the phases include the research design, testing of their own hypotheses, and methodology growth. Coupled with these aspects, students present their research to their peers just as any professional researcher would do.

Deadline: 2/5/2021

Length : 9 weeks

Age: Current 11-12th graders

12. RISE Internship / Practicum – Boston University

About : Students who are passionate about the sciences and entering their senior year of high school are invited to apply to the Research in Science & Engineering (RISE) program. RISE offers two tracks: Internship and Practicum. Because of this, you can spend six weeks at BU conducting university laboratory research with some of the nation’s brightest scientific minds and advance your knowledge and skills.

Age: Rising 12th grader

Cost: Residential student – $7500, Commuter student – $5000

13. UPMC Cancer Center Academy

Possibly online in 2021. if not, pittsburgh, pa..

About : The UPMC Hillman Cancer Center Academy, previously the UPCI Academy, strives to provide cutting-edge research and career preparatory experiences. Like other programs, they seek a diverse group of highly motivated high school students. Above all, the program is designed for students who are pursuing higher education and careers in STEM fields, especially research and medicine.

Deadline: 2/16/2021

Age: Minimum age of 15 years old

Cost: Free. Cost to reside on campus – $7,000

14. The Summer Youth Intensive Program

About : The Summer Youth Intensive Program (SYIP) is designed, organized, and delivered by the College of Chemistry at UC Berkeley. However, SYIP is far from the traditional summer program. In fact, SYIP goes over the course of one year and serves students who are passionate about scientific research and who are focused on maximizing their future success in college. Importantly, it’s worth noting which online summer programs like this help you transition to college life.

Deadline: Rolling admissions

Length : 4 weeks

Age: Rising 9-12th graders in the SF Bay Area, CA

Cost: Approx. $14, 500

Moving on, let’s take a look at the next batch:

15. Samuel Merritt University – Clinical Immersion and Mentoring Summer Internshi p

Possibly online in 2021. if not, oakland, ca..

About : As has been noted, participants experience direct patient observation, shadow mentors in patient care settings, and interact with a broad spectrum of health staff. Along with this, students attend daily development seminars.

Deadline: Opens 1/4/202, last year deadline: 2/21/2020

Age: Current 9-12th graders from underrepresented groups in health in the SF Bay Area, CA

Cost: Free, may receive a stipend

16. Summer Science Program

Possibly online in 2021. if not, several campuses..

About : Students learn the fundamentals of enzyme structure, function, and evolution. After that, each team of three combines bench experiments and computer tools to characterize a member of an enzyme family that is implicated in crop infection by fungal pathogens. In fact, students work with one which has never been modeled by anyone before.

Length : 39 days

Age: Rising 12th graders but will consider rising 11th graders too

Cost: 3,950 if online, or $6,950 if in-person

17. NEI Summer Intern Program

Possibly online in 2021. if not, bethesda, md ..

About : The National Eye Institute NIH Summer Internship Program (SIP) provides opportunities for students to spend the summer working with some of the world’s leading scientists. As a result, summer interns come to the NEI to participate in research projects.

Length : 8 weeks

Age: Minimum age of 17. In addition, applicants must reside approximately 40 miles from the NIH Bethesda campus at the time of application, if they are not eighteen by June 15, 2021

Cost: Free, monthly stipend is paid

18. Science Internship Program @ UCSC

Possibly online in 2020, online. if not, santa cruz, ca..

About : SIP is a summer-long (10-week) research internship program for high-school students in STEM fields. In other words, UCSC faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral researchers provide one-on-one mentoring for these high-school interns. As you can see, this is a great opportunity to see how some online summer programs allow you to work at a collegiate level. The research projects are real, in that they are not made up just for high-school students; instead, students are inserted into existing research projects here at UCSC.

Deadline: TBD; however, note last year’s deadline: 3/20/2020

Age: Must be 14 (or 16 for some projects)

Cost: Approx. $4,000

19. UIllinois – High School STEM Research Program s

About : Rising high school juniors and seniors are invited to apply for an authentic STEM research experience at a world-class research university for 6 weeks during the summer. Given that they are accepted, students gain hands-on experience in various STEM fields.

Deadline: Opens March 2021, last year’s deadline: 3/20/2020

Length : 1.5 months

Cost: Free, stipend is paid

In this section, let’s keep considering options:

20. Cardiothoracic Surgical Skills and Education Center Stanford Summer Internship

Possibly online in 2021. if not, stanford, ca..

About : This summer internship is an elective course for high school and pre-med students. To be specific, this internship will provide exposure to the steps towards mastering basic and advanced cardiothoracic surgery (for example, knot tying, dissection, suturing, coronary artery bypass graft, and aortic valve replacements).

Deadline: 3/21/2021

Length : 2 weeks

Cost: Approx. $6,000

21. Fred Hutch – Summer High School Internship Program

Possibly online in 2021. if not, seattle, wa.

About : High school students are welcome to apply for an 8-week, paid summer research internship at Fred Hutch. Indeed, Hutch has an international reputation for its pioneering research in biological sciences, bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, cancer prevention, epidemiology, and biostatistics.

Deadline: 3/31/2021

Cost: Free, stipend paid.

22. Seattle Children’s Research Institute – Research Training Program

Online and in-person in seattle, wa..

About : Become familiar with working in a research lab environment and gain hands-on experience. In addition, learn about what you want to do with your future and possible careers. Beyond this, you can increase your knowledge of global health. What’s more, you will discover options for college and scholarships.

Further, students will also participate in workshops on college readiness and career exploration. These programs provide students with a solid foundation for a future career in biomedical research, and there is no cost to participate.

Deadline: In-person: 4/4/2021; or Online: 6/20/21

Length : Online: 1 week, In-person: 3 weeks

Age: High school students

23. Pioneer Academics

About : Pioneer Academics is an online research program founded in cooperation between American university professors and international education experts. Its goal is to provide outstanding high school students around the world with challenging and creative research opportunities across a wide range of disciplines.

Carry out research in the areas of natural sciences, mathematics, social sciences, and humanities. This is one of several online summer programs especially equipped for digital learning.

Deadline: The deadline will be announced on March 10, 2021, last year’s deadline was 4/26/2020

Age: Current 9-12th graders

Cost: Approx. $6,500

24. Cell-Science Summer Internship Program

Possibly online in 2021. if not, fremont, ca ..

About : The goal of this program is to educate next-generation scientists about rational drug design & discovery in biotechnology. As such, the Summer Internship program will also have guest lectures by experts from leading Pharma/Biotech companies. In addition, they will host two workshops for career development. Students will have a chance to work on the Bioinformatics project for 7 weeks and give oral presentations and submit project reports.

Deadline: TBD, last year’s deadline was 5/20/2020

If you’ve made it this far, there is still more to review!

25. California State Summer School for Mathematics and Science (COSMOS)

Online in 2021.

About : A program for talented high school students hosted by the University of California, Irvine. COSMOS students apply to a specific “cluster”, with each cluster addressing advanced topics in STEM fields, including a variety of engineering disciplines, pharmaceutical sciences, and computer science (to name a few).

Deadline: 2/19/2021

Cost: Approx. $2,000

26. UCSB Research Mentorship Program

Online in 2021..

About : The Research Mentorship Program is a competitive, six-week summer program that engages high-achieving high school students from all over the world in university-level research. Students will be paired up with a mentor (graduate student, postdoc, or faculty) and choose a research project from a large list of disciplines offered by the program each year.

Deadline: 3/15/2021

Cost: Approx. $10,500

27. US Youth Ambassadors and TechGirls

Possibly online in 2021. if not, blacksburg va.

About : Join 28 girls from 7 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) for an exciting and unparalleled week of quality tech training and international friendship on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg VA. Participants will collaborate on tech projects by day and participate in stimulating cross-cultural dialogues and fun times at night!

Deadline: 1/15/2021

Length : 22 days

Age: Minimum age of 15 years old, GIRLS ONLY

28. Facebook Summer Academy

About : Facebook Summer Academy Externs will have the opportunity to learn about the day-to-day operations of one of the leading social media networks by being part of a live workforce. Externs will work closely with Facebook Mentors to gain real-world work experience and on-the-job skills that will help propel them into successful careers.

Age: Current 10th graders. Must be full-year residents of the SF Bay Area

29. Camp Euclid – A Mathematics Research Camp

About : Camp Euclid is an online math research program for youth. Participants will encounter math problems (which have never been solved before). Mull over and grapple with difficult math problems within a circle of fellow researchers.

Deadline: TBD, last year’s deadline was 6/13/2020

Age: Maximum age of 19 years old

Cost: Approx $1,400

And finally, our last entry of online research opportunities for high schoolers today:

30. UC Irvine Math ExpLR: Summer Research Program

Possibly online in 2021. if not, irvine, ca.

About : Math ExpLR is a program in mathematical biology. Students will be paired up with undergraduates and work with a PI on a computational biology research project. In addition, there will be weekly activities in skills development, including how to give presentations, or how to write math on the computer. By the end of the project, all students will give a presentation about their research and submit an expository paper about their work.

Deadline: TBD, last year’s deadline was 3/1/2020

Online high school research programs offer valuable opportunities for students to engage in research and expand their academic horizons from the comfort of their own homes. These programs provide access to online research opportunities for high school students, allowing them to delve into a variety of fields and explore their interests. Virtual research opportunities for high school students enable them to work on real research projects, collaborate with professionals, and contribute to the advancement of knowledge in their chosen fields. These programs foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills, setting students up for success in future academic and professional endeavors.

One of the key advantages of online high school research programs is their flexibility and accessibility. These programs are designed to be accessible to students regardless of their location or time constraints. Students can participate in online summer research for high school students without the need for travel or being tied to a specific location. This flexibility allows students to engage in research activities while managing other commitments, such as part-time jobs or extracurricular activities. Virtual research programs provide an inclusive and convenient platform for high school students to pursue their research interests.

High school summer research programs conducted online offer students a chance to gain valuable experience and build a strong foundation for future academic and professional pursuits. By participating in these programs, students have the opportunity to work closely with researchers and experts in their fields of interest. They can develop research skills, learn about the research process, and gain exposure to cutting-edge research methodologies and technologies. Online high school research programs also offer mentorship and guidance, providing students with invaluable insights and support as they navigate their research projects.

Another significant advantage of online high school research programs is that they often provide free high school internships for the summertime. These programs offer financial accessibility, ensuring that students from diverse backgrounds can participate and benefit from research experiences. Free high school internships through online research programs allow students to explore their interests without the burden of financial constraints. By removing financial barriers, these programs promote equity and inclusivity, ensuring that talented high school students have equal opportunities to engage in meaningful research and enhance their academic profiles.

How do I apply?

Yes, applications for these online research opportunities for high school students tend to be lengthier than other less competitive programs available to you. Not only that, these reputable summer research programs for high school students apps usually require essay responses to several questions as well as letters of recommendation. Furthermore, these online summer programs will definitely be in-demand this year and in years to come.

Securing a spot in online high school research programs can open doors to exciting research opportunities and contribute to a student’s academic and professional growth. To tap into online research opportunities for high school students, start by actively searching for virtual research programs that align with your interests. Look for organizations, universities, and institutions that offer online summer research for high school students. Explore their websites and program details to understand the application process, eligibility criteria, and deadlines. One way to increase your chances of getting into online high school research programs is to showcase your passion and interest in the field. Craft a compelling application that highlights your enthusiasm, relevant coursework, and any previous research experiences or projects you have undertaken. Emphasize how participating in the program aligns with your academic goals and how it will contribute to your personal and professional development. Additionally, highlight any extracurricular activities, awards, or achievements that demonstrate your dedication and commitment to the field of research.

Networking and reaching out to mentors or professionals in your desired research field can also be beneficial. Attend virtual conferences, webinars, or workshops related to your area of interest and connect with experts in the field. Engage in meaningful conversations, ask questions, and express your eagerness to learn and contribute to research. Building relationships and establishing connections with professionals can provide you with valuable insights, advice, and potential recommendations that may enhance your application for online high school research programs.

Don’t overlook the importance of researching and applying for free high school internships for the summertime. Many organizations and institutions offer free or funded research internships specifically designed for high school students. Explore online platforms, research institutes, and educational websites that curate a list of available internships. Make sure to read the requirements and application instructions carefully, and tailor your application to showcase your skills, academic achievements, and interest in the specific research area. Take advantage of these opportunities to gain hands-on experience, contribute to ongoing research projects, and expand your knowledge in your chosen field.

But, if you need help constructing a quality application for these online research opportunities, why not get experts to help? The Empowerly community can not only help you find exactly which online summer research opportunities for high school students suit your interests. Not only that, we edit your essay responses. Most of all, working with a counselor can even ensure that you meet the fast-approaching summer research programs in high school deadlines. Schedule a free consultation with us today!

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Top Online Research Opportunities for High School Students

Best online research opportunities for high school students

Reviewed by:

Former Admissions Committee Member, Columbia University

Reviewed: 5/10/24

Read on to learn about the best online research opportunities for high school students and how to strengthen your college profile !

Enrolling in an online research program can help set you up for college success, particularly if you're interested in undergraduate research.

This guide will teach you what you need to know about the benefits of virtual research, what to look for in research opportunities, and a list of the best online research opportunities for high school students !

Top 20 Online Research Opportunities for High School Students in 2024

These are some of the best online research opportunities for high school students:

1. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program

Academic requirement : Unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher

Duration : 12 weeks

College credit : No

This research program was founded by Harvard and Oxford scholars, allowing students to work one-on-one with Ph.D. mentors to create an "independently-developed research project." ‍

2. Horizon Academic (HARP)

Academic requirement : Unweighted GPA of 3.67 or higher

Duration : Three months

HARP is a trimester-long research opportunity . Students work with a professor as they develop a college-level research project. Most students complete a 20+ page research paper by the program's end. ‍

3. Pioneer Academics

Academic requirement : Demonstrated academic excellence

Cost : $6,850

Duration : Three to four months

College credit : Yes

Many top colleges hold Pioneer Academics in high regard : “it’s the only online credit-bearing research program” offering STEM, social sciences, and humanities disciplines. Students work one-on-one with U.S. university professors, and the program is open to students worldwide.

4. Polygence

Academic requirement : Not required

Cost : Starts at $2,795

Duration : Four to six months

Polygence offers one-on-one mentorship with a research expert in the field and flexible scheduling. Students in the program can earn college credit from the University of California, write a research paper, and pursue “passion projects” such as starting a podcast, writing a novel, publishing a paper, and more.

5. Cambridge Future Scholar Programme

Academic requirement : Demonstrated academic excellence

Cost : $3,900

Duration : 13 weeks

This online research opportunity is taught by professors from Oxford, Cambridge, MIT, Stanford, and select Ivies . Students can choose from 34 STEM, Business, Social Sciences, and Humanities courses. Outcomes include a research paper and recommendation letter from an Oxbridge or Ivy League faculty member. ‍

6. CrowdMath

Academic requirement : N/A

Cost : Free

Duration : One year

CrowdMath is an open project run by MIT Primes and the Art of Problem Solving. The purpose is for students to “experience research mathematics and discover ideas that did not exist before.” Students can comment on the message board to try and solve complex problems.

7. Indigo Research

Cost : Starting at $3,800

Duration : 13 to 48 weeks depending on program

Their High School Research Program pairs students 1:1 with professors and mentors from top universities in the US and UK to develop their own research project. Indigo is known for having some of the strictest education requirements for mentors (including professors from Ivy League universities), as well as the most flexible research program, allowing students to tailor personalized mentorship sessions according to their schedule.

8. Summer Academy for High School Students

Cost : $1,200 for early registration, or $1,500

Duration : One month

This program offers hands-on experience in architecture, interior design, and landscape design for students. Virtual activities include exploring buildings, taking tours, and using design tools from home. Students get access to design software, a sketchbook, and a 3D printing pen to build portfolios for college applications.

9. Leadership Institute

Cost : $5,313

The Leadership Institute at Brown University empowers high school students who care about social justice to make a difference. Students join a supportive community to discuss important issues and find solutions. They learn skills like listening, problem-solving, and teamwork. By the end, they create a plan to bring positive change to their communities.

10. BETA Camp Summer

Cost : $3,000

BETA Camp is an online program for teens with big business ideas. With expert guidance and a supportive community, they learn how to turn their startup ideas into reality. They'll develop skills like researching, marketing, and pitching to investors.

11. Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience

Cost : No cost

Duration : Two weeks

This Stanford summer program in Behavioral and Psychological Sciences teaches students about cutting-edge research in neuroscience, psychiatry, and psychology. Students work together on a final project, which they present to Stanford professors, peers, and families at the end.

12. Summer College – Research Immersion Program

Cost : $1,985, plus $65 application fee

Duration : Six weeks

Syracuse University’s Summer College: Research Immersion Program (SCRIP) is a six-week program for high school students. During this time, they work closely with faculty on research projects and present their findings.

13. Summer Writing Online

Cost: $2,200

Duration: Three weeks

The University of Iowa has a renowned creative writing program that offers a three-week intensive course for high school writers. Students learn from Iowa's respected faculty, get workshop feedback, and hear from famous authors. It's a great opportunity for young writers seeking guidance and support for their creative projects this summer.

14. Summer Session for Pre-College Students

Cost: $4,850 for one course credit

Duration: One month

High school students can join Yale summer classes with Yale undergrads, a cool chance to dive deep into a subject they love or try something new. They'll get the real feel of studying at a top-notch university, earn college credit, and meet Yale's awesome faculty.

15. Secondary School Program

Cost: $3,700 per four credit course, plus $75 application fee

Duration: Seven weeks

This program offers more than 200 courses. It's a great chance to explore college-level research on a topic you like, taught by famous professors.

16. Pre-College Summer Programs

Cost: $1,950 (one credit), $562 (non-credit)

Duration: Two to 10 weeks

College credit : Depends on the program

Johns Hopkins University offers many online programs for high schoolers. These courses let you learn at your own pace and include live teaching. They have different time options so that you can fit them around your summer plans.

17. International Summer School for Young Physicists (ISSYP)

Duration: Two weeks

ISSYP has been teaching future physicists for 20 years. This two-week online program is for high schoolers who've taken physics and want to study it in college. Through interactive sessions with peers and experts, they'll learn about modern physics topics like quantum mechanics and black holes. It's perfect for juniors or seniors interested in physics research.

18. Summer Program

Cost: $1,075-$1,375 per course

AwesomeMath has an online summer program for high schoolers who are good at math and want to ace competitions like AMC, AIME, or IMO. The program has Algebra, Combinatorics, Geometry, and Number Theory courses at four skill levels, spread over three summer sessions.

19. Economics for Leaders (EFL)

Cost: $800 plus $35 application processing fee

Duration: One week

This summer program teaches high schoolers how to use economics in decision-making and become leaders in public policy. Taught by economics professors and leadership experts, the classes are hands-on and include group projects. It's perfect for students who want to research economics and public policy.

20. Medical Research Program

Cos t: $1,495 - $1,795

Duration : One to four weeks

Georgetown University has a special online program for high schoolers who want to do medical research in college. Students learn about clinical research, evidence-based medicine, and ethics. They'll create their study and turn it into a scientific paper. This mentorship program is great for anyone interested in medical school or clinical research.

These are some of our top picks, but it doesn’t stop here! Taking initiative to find research opportunities will look excellent on your college application, so you should keep looking until you find the right one for you.

In-Person vs Online Research Opportunities: When to Choose

Deciding between in-person and online research opportunities depends on various factors. In-person research can offer hands-on experience and direct interaction with mentors and equipment. It's ideal for those who prefer a traditional learning environment and thrive in face-to-face interactions.

On the other hand, online research provides flexibility and accessibility, allowing students to participate from anywhere with an internet connection. This option suits individuals with busy schedules or those who prefer working independently.

Benefits of Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students

In general, research exposure is important for high school students. According to the American Psychological Association , research for high school students can help provide early career exposure, develop necessary life and career skills, and build and expand a professional network.

However, virtual research opportunities for high school students in particular have added benefits:

Generally lower costs compared to in-person programs
No need to navigate transportation, accommodations, or any other travel logistics
Flexibility (depending on the program)
A mix of guided and independent work

Overall, virtual research opportunities for high school students mean they can get valuable research experience with fewer barriers, such as high costs, time, and distance.

What to Look For in an Online Research Opportunity

There are three main factors you should consider when looking for the best online research opportunities for high school students:

Who offers the program : Check your source (an organization, school, etc.) and learn more about them. Are they reputable? Will partnering with them give you the tools you need to succeed?
The program’s value : Consider what your role would be in the program and what skills you'd learn. Does the program offer enough guidance for your success? Does the program offer mixed learning through webinars and workshops? Is the research you'd be doing relevant to your passions?
The time commitment/flexibility : Will the program's schedule fit with your own? Do you have to attend live meetings/lectures, or are they pre-recorded? Can you speak one-on-one in real-time with a research expert? Consider time commitments and flexibility to see if a program works for your busy schedule.

To summarize, look for programs with a reputation for excellence, offer guidance and the opportunity to hone or build new skills, and work for you when added to your schedule.

Final Thoughts

Virtual research opportunities for high school students can help you explore your interest areas, gain the necessary skills you'll need for undergraduate research, and build your professional network. Before applying, consider the program's source, value, and time commitment.

Remember, the best online research opportunity for any high school student is one that you’re passionate about participating in. Whether you're interested in STEM, business, pre-med, or humanities, there’s a research opportunity waiting for you.

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What is Horizon Academic?

Horizon academic (harp) is a trimester-long online research program for extraordinary high school students to refine their interest in an academic subject. students will develop a college-level research project under the individualized guidance of a professor from a globally renowned university., how does it work, horizon scholars choose their own field of inquiry and work with their professor to develop a unique research proposal. after a trimester of reading, writing, and exploring, horizon scholars finish their final projects, most often a 20-25 page research paper. by showcasing a student's very best work, horizon gives students the opportunity to get letters of recommendation, seek outside recognition of the quality of their work, and demonstrate their exceptional talent to universities., how we support student research.

Enhanced Writing Skills

An early start to university life and adapting to its expectations..

"I got into the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program at UMICH, largely because of the work I did with Horizon."

John L. Miller Great Neck North High School

"I loved the whole program, I just loved it. It felt like some part of me was doing something that really matters, like I was contributing to something bigger."

Robert College

Meet Danielle's & Gunay's Mentor:

Edoardo gallo assistant professor and director of studies (economics) at university of cambridge.

Dr. Gallo is also the Ajit Singh Official Fellow in Economics at Queens' College, Cambridge and a Fellow at the Cambridge Endowment for Research in Finance. His research sits at the intersection of the economics of networks, experimental economics, and behavioral economics questioning how the structure of social networks causally affects individual behavior and economic outcomes.

Environmental Engineering Horizon Seminar Course Icon: How do ecosystems collapse? How can we engineer solutions to environmental catastrophe? Dr. Truncer’s course explores how human society can react to environmental systems collapse. Students may examine and research a variety of sustainability issues with regard to agricultural production, urbanization, infrastructure, resource use, and modern day engineering innovations. Dr. Truncer has previously taught this course at Harvard University and Stanford University.

"A big thank you to you for all that you've done for me, from the Horizon program to the publication process after. You have gone over and beyond."

Branksome Hall

Meet Darynne's Mentor:

James truncer lecturer at harvard university extension school, former lecturer at stanford university .

Dr. Truncer has taught environmental engineering and environmental systems collapse courses at Harvard & Stanford University. His work has led to an interest in sustainability issues with regard to changing agricultural production, urbanization, resource use, and systems collapse.

International Relations Horizon Seminar Course Icon: What are the causes of war and peace? How does the international system affect the behavior of states, and how does this affect people on the ground? We explore the theories, patterns, and frameworks of international relations. We critically examine controversies surrounding current phenomena such as world governance, state failure, international injustice, and great power competition. Professor Rezvani had previously taught this course at Dartmouth, Harvard, and Oxford.

"One of the most exciting parts of Dr. Rezvani's class is that he never directly tells us how to think about a problem because it may hinder our intellectual development; he will seek our opinions and encourage everyone to participate in the discussion."

Western Academy of Beijing

Xing (tamia) wentong.

Liaoning Province Experimental High School

Meet Ally's & Tamia's Mentor:

David rezvani research assistant professor at dartmouth college.

David Rezvani has previously taught at Harvard University, MIT, Oxford University, and Boston University. His research interests include political integration, Asian politics, and US foreign policy. Rezvani's work has appeared in the Political Science Quarterly , Journal of Contemporary Asia , Ethnopolitics , and the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences .

Neuroscience Horizon Labs Course Icon: Horizon Academic offers a wide range of 57 sub-topics in neuroscience, ranging from social neuroscience, neurobiology, and more than a dozen topics about neurodegeneration disorders. Originally created in collaboration with two of our instructors working at the Department of Physiology Anatomy & Genetics at Oxford, our neuroscience offerings have continued to grow in recognition of our students' diverse interests in this exciting field.

"I'm attending UCLA for neuroscience and actually decided that I love this major and want to pursue it as my career after completing the Horizon research program."

Dhirubhai Ambani International School

Meet Prarthna's Mentor:

Elisa phd researcher at the university of chicago.

Elisa researches in a clinical addiction and a fMRI memory laboratory, where she hopes to uncover more about the similarities and differences between various types of addictions and how individuals experience substance use and dependence. Her interest lies in the neural basis of motivated behaviors leading to substance abuse, reuse, and maintenance of addiction.

Applications of Machine Learning Horizon Labs Course Icon: Machine learning and predictive analytics can be used in a stunning number of ways. From predicting the price of a stock you buy, to estimating the chances that your flight will be delayed, to estimating how well your favorite sports team might do next game, to even guessing the outcomes of a Supreme Court case, machine learning can help us predict the world around us. This course examines interesting and unlikely applications of machine learning that advance social goals, improve economic efficiency, or better understand the world around us.

"It’s an opportunity to showcase my work to the entire world. Horizon has invested a lot into helping me through the process."

James Logan High School

Meet Karthik’s Mentor:

Parsa a. research associate at the university of cambridge.

Parsa's work focuses on Statistical Genetics. He has both academic and commercial experience in the application of statistical analysis to generate commercial and scientific value. Parsa also co-founded an online technology platform allowing the open source online generation of content by users.

"It was a great learning experience, and I will carry what I learned throughout college and in my future career."

Canton High School

Meet Harshitha’s Mentor:

Patrick liu phd researcher at the university of oxford .

Patrick studies Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics at the University of Oxford. His research takes a neurobiology approach to understanding the molecular processes underlying sleep homeostasis and how neural circuits are able to temporally integrate information to effect meaningful behavioral output.

CRISPR & Gene Editing Horizon Labs Course Icon: How did life begin? What is the basis for human life and how are scientists learning to manipulate our genetic code? How can CRISPR allow use to control genetic expressions and human development? How is CRISPR being used in cutting edge diagnostic approaches and treatments? How can we theorize and understand the medical and social risks of CRISPR? This course allows students to interpret, understand, and perhaps build on leading scientific research on CRISPR and Gene Editing.

"My time with Horizon helped me prepare extensively for research in similar fields at university!"

Jayashree Periwal International School

Meet Diya's Mentor:

Nadia nasreddin phd researcher at the university of oxford.

Nadia works at the Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease, looking into the link between inflammation and tumorigenesis, with the ultimate goal of improving patient management and treatment.

Examples of Our Students' Work

Horizon Academic alumni may submit their final manuscript to be included in our pre-print server, enabling them to quickly share their work with others.

Students interested in pursuing publication opportunities may apply to external journals, or they may apply to have their papers published in the Horizon Academic Research Journal.

Our Purely Online Program, By the Numbers

Best Online Bootcamps and Online Research Programs for High School Students

February 3, 2021
Career Guidance , College Admission Guidance , Parents Must Read , Study Abroad , Under Graduate

Online Courses and pre-college summer programs are great for profile building and improving college admission chances. However, if you are aspiring to stand out really well and aiming for admissions at the top elite and Ivy League colleges , research experience is more than handy. Here are some of the best-in-class online summer programs and online research programs for high school students 2022 .

Best Online Research Programs for High School Students

College is a giant academic leap from high school, and as such, it requires careful preparation, often beyond what high school can provide. Thus, students (and their parents) often spend the summer after senior year brushing up on skills that will give them the competitive edge they need to succeed in college and in their future careers.

Summer 2020 showed us that students will be able to find activities that work in a virtual environment, and in doing so, they’ll learn a little more about themselves. With some creativity, they can find new ways to engage in their interests and develop new skills. Bonus points if they make a positive impact on others in their community in the meantime.

Online Research Programs for High School Students

Online research programs for high school students offer a unique opportunity to demonstrate their skills in research and pursue the possibility of having their findings published.

A research program can demonstrate that you willingly take on challenging material and that you thrive amid competition. Your activities list will tell colleges that not only are you ready for college, but you also have experience in the medical field.

The opportunity to have your scientific findings from a summer program published or presented in the scientific community is the ticket to sending your college applications to the next level.

Since many summer research programs themselves are selective, they provide you with experience as they mimic the college application process.

They can range anywhere from one week to last the majority of your summer break. The prices range greatly too, with some free options alongside programs that cost thousands of dollars.

You can use this list as a starting point for finding an online research program or summer pre-college program that matches your intended medical focus.

Now, let’s have a look at the best online summer programs and online research programs for high school students.

Lumiere Education

Founded by Harvard & Oxford researchers, the Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a selective research program for high school students. Students work 1-1 with a research mentor from a top university to develop a full-length, undergraduate-level research paper. The program offers the opportunity to do research in any academic field of your choice, ranging from machine learning and economics to physics and history.

In the 2020-2021 school year, over 1500 students applied to the program. An analysis of ED/EA admissions of former Lumiere students showed that alumni were 26% more likely to be accepted to the top ten universities in the US.

Lumiere also helps students with the publication process for their research. Students’ past research projects have gone on to be finalists at MIT Think, published in journals like the Cornell Undergraduate Economic Review, and have won competitions like Regional ISEF Regeneron fairs.

Lumiere also provides scholarships to students whose families make less than $35,000 per year (US applicants) or 15 lakh rupees per year (Indian or non-US applicants). Apply Now for the Summer 2022 cohort .

Horizon Academic (HARP) is a trimester-long online research program for extraordinary high school students to refine their interest in an academic subject. Students will develop a college-level research project under the individualized guidance of a professor from a globally renowned university.

Students choose their own subject area and work with a professor, post-doc, or PhD student to develop a unique research proposal. After a trimester of reading, writing, and exploring, students finish their final projects, most often a 20-25 page research paper. By showcasing a student’s very best work, Horizon gives students the opportunity to get letters of recommendation, seek outside recognition of the quality of their work, and demonstrate their exceptional talent to universities.

Research Subject Areas:

International Relations
Machine Learning and Biotechnology
Cancer Biology (CRISPR)
Neuroscience
Protein Physics
Formulation Chemistry
Ancient Greek-Roman History

Application Link: https://www.horizoninspires.com/application

Timings: Spring and summer every year

It’s another platform that provides opportunities to high school students to conduct research projects online. The platform allows students to connect with an expert mentor online and develop a college-level research project. The projects allow students to showcase their work through a publication, conference presentation, or creative piece.

Students need to have a solid idea of what they want to study and preferably some research ideas as well. Here are some of the projects done by previous students .

Application Link: https://app.polygence.org/user/register

Timings: Mainly summer; however, students can do projects on a rolling basis as well

Pioneer Academics

It’s a great option to do a research project online and earn credits from a US college. Pioneer is well respected for its rigorous academic standards which apply to both the faculty members and the students.

The Pioneer Research Program provides undergraduate-level research opportunities to talented, intellectually motivated high school students (and college students) from around the world. It is the only online credit-bearing research program for high school students that offers STEM, social sciences and humanities disciplines.

In the Pioneer Research Program, selected students to work one-on-one with leading US university professors in advanced study and research of a topic of their interest, culminating in a full-length research paper. The program is conducted entirely online, allowing high school students from all over the world to participate.

Application Link: https://app.pioneeracademics.com/html/applicationform.php?save=true&new_site=set

Timings: Spring and Summer

CrowdMath (a joint program by the Art of Problem Solving and MIT Primes)

It’s a massive online collaborative year-long research project open to all high school (and college) students around the world.

Students get a unique opportunity to collaborate on a large research project with top-tier research mentors and an exceptional peer group. MIT PRIMES and Art of Problem Solving are working together to create a place for students to experience research mathematics and discover ideas that did not exist before.

Link: https://artofproblemsolving.com/polymath/mitprimes

Best Summer Courses and Online Research Programs for High School Students

Other Top Online Research Programs for High School Students

International Research Institute of North Carolina (IRI-NC)

ScholarLaunch
BioChemCoRe
J Craig Venter Institute
Apple World Wide Developers Conference
Congressional App Challenge
Google Code Jams
InternWorks
UCI Summer Premed Program
Anson L Clark Scholar Program
Cambridge Future Scholar Programme

Best Online Winter Bootcamps for High School Students (2021 – 2022)

Biotech-Bioinformatics Bootcamp for Grade 8 – 12 Students [Starting from Dec 27, 2021]

AI/Data Science for Biology Bootcamp for Grade 9 – 12 Students [Starting from Dec 27, 2021]

Energy, Environmental Science & Sustainability Bootcamp for Grade 7 – 12 Students [Starting from Dec 20, 2021]

Top Online Summer Courses & Summer Programs

Online pre-college summer programs on engineering.

Johns Hopkins Biomedical Engineering Innovation
Syracuse University Summer College
Harvard Pre-College and Secondary Programs
Wake Forest PreCollege Programs
Summer STEM Institute
NASA Learning at Home
Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology
edX Engineering
Stanford Summer Institutes
Summer Discovery
Camp Euclid
Future Engineers
MIT Online Science, Technology, and Engineering Community (MOSTEC)
Stony Brook University – Garcia Center for Polymers at Engineered Interfaces
Stony Brook – Simons Summer Research Program
MIT Research Summer Institute
Hampshire College Summer Studies in Mathematics
The Ross Mathematics Program
Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS)
Carnegie Mellon University SAMS Program
Stanford Mathematics Camp
Bucknell Engineering Camp

Best Online Summer Courses on Business & Entrepreneurship

Temple University Summer Pre College Program – Sports Management
University of Massachusetts Amherst – Entrepreneurship
Quarter Zero – Entrepreneurship
Washington University
Emory University
Oxford Scholastica Academy
University of Notre Dame Summer Scholars
USC Summer Programs
Columbia University Summer High School Programs
Boston University High School Honors Programs
Business Strategy, entrepreneurship and Digital Marketing at Stanford online
Cornell Summer Programs
Kelley School of Business – Young Women’s Institute
Bentley WallStreet 101

Best Online Summer Programs on Computer Science

Emory University
iD Tech Online Coding Camp
Stanford AI Scholars Live Online
New York Academy of Science
AI, Logic, Data Science and Programming at Stanford
Digital Media Academy

Best Online Summer PRE-MED Programs for High Schoolers

Pharmacy Summer Institute for High School and College Students
Georgetown Summer Medical Academy
University of Vermont Online Summer Academy
Austin Community College
Brandeis Pre-College Programs: Global Health and Social Justice
National Institute of Health Summer Institute Program
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program

Top Online Summer Programs on Psychology for High School Students

Michigan Math and Science Scholars

Online Pre-College Programs on Creative Writing

The Iowa Young Writers’ Studio
Young Arts Creative Writing Competition
Scholastic Art & Writing Contests
Polyphony Lit
New York Times Summer Academy
Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute

Top Online Summer Programs on Liberal Arts for High School Students

Emory University
Academy of Art Pre College Experience
Art of Problem Solving
21st Century Leadership Institute
Cleveland Institute of Music Preparatory Division
The Lukeion Project (Classics)
Foundation for Teaching Economics
Princeton Summer Journalism Program

Research Opportunities for High School Students in 2024: More Than 50 Options Across Multiple Academic Disciplines and Interests

By Jin Chow

Co-founder of Polygence, Forbes 30 Under 30 for Education

24 minute read

High school research projects offer a gateway for exploring passions, honing critical skills, and showcasing ambition for college admissions. Details from Harvard suggest that applicants who provide evidence of “substantial scholarship or academic creativity” have a much greater chance of gaining admission. In fact, 92% of students who completed the Polygence high school student research program were admitted to R1 universities in 2023. They significantly enhance a student's profile and academic creativity, boosting their chances of admission to top universities. These projects not only boost learning enthusiasm but also contribute positively to mental well-being .

Our curated list provides a program overview of over 50 research opportunities and programs for high school students covering various fields, emphasizing affordability, prestige, rigor, and social engagement. We encourage current students to verify program details, such as the necessary application information, and review updates as they may change yearly.

For personalized, self-driven projects, consider Polygence Core Program research mentorship to achieve your unique goals.

Do your own research through Polygence!

Polygence pairs you with an expert mentor in your area of passion. Together, you work to create a high quality research project that is uniquely your own.

7 Top Business, Economics, Finance, and Leadership Research Opportunities for High School Students

1 . beta camp .

Hosting institution: BETA Camp

Super Early Bird (Enroll by January 15, 2024): $3,000

Early Bird (Enroll by March 1, 2024): $3,500

Regular (Enjoll by June 15, 2024): $3,950

Format: Online

Application deadline: Mid-April

In this 6-week program, high school students aged 13-18 can learn from experts at world-class companies like Google, IKEA, Airbnb, and more. Participants create a real-world company, reach out to influencers, and partner with them to promote a real solution. Participants also practice their skills on real companies with feedback from their top executives. Finally, all learnings go toward building your own startup with weekly guidance.

2 . Essentials of Finance

Hosting institution: Wharton University

Cost: $7,299

Format: In-person (Philadelphia, PA)

Application deadline: Early April

This two-week intensive program gives high school students in grades 9 - 11 an opportunity to learn finance theory and methods at one of the most prestigious business schools in the world. Participants are exposed to the fundamentals of both personal and corporate finance. Other topics include the time value of money, the trade-off between risk and return, equities, and corporate accounting. You’ll learn the fundamentals of finance with real-world applications and case studies.

3 . Berkeley Business Academy for Youth (B-BAY)

Hosting Institution: Haas School of Business - University of California, Berkeley

Cost: $7,050

Format: In-person (Berkeley, CA)

Application deadline: Mid-March

With an intimate cohort of only 50 students, this immersive two-week college prep business program invites students to learn concepts of teamwork, communications, presentations, writing a business plan, and research skills. While immersed in on-campus life, participants also experience social activities, hear from guest speakers, and collaborate with a team to build a business plan which they then present at the end of the course. We think this is a great, immersive experience and B-BAY’s cost is the only reason it falls lower on the list of top business research opportunities for high school students.

4 . Entrepreneurship Academy

Hosting Institution: Georgetown University

Cost: Estimated tuition $5,775

Format: In-person (Washington, DC)

Application deadline:

Early Bird Deadline: January 31, 2024

Final Deadline: May 15, 2024

This high school student business program in Washington, DC, would have been higher on our list, but the Entrepreneurship Academy price tag relative to its short week-long length made it less cost-effective than our top options. That said, this program offers high school students the opportunity to hone practical business skills like public speaking, networking strategies, and team-building techniques. They also participate in the complete startup process: from doing market research to developing business plans to giving a pitch presentation to running their own enterprise. This high school student business program is a mix of classroom lectures, field trips, hands-on activities, and group discussions.

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Interested in Business? We'll match you with an expert mentor who will help you explore your next project.

5 . Camp Business

Hosting Institution: Drexel University

Cost: $950-$2,000

Application deadline: Ongoing

Camp Business is a great option for business-minded high school students. This hands-on summer program is designed to teach rising high school sophomores and juniors skills, such as accounting, marketing, and stock market basics. Students also take part in a team business pitch competition and learn critical soft skills such as leadership, professional image, etiquette, and team building.

6 . Business Opportunities Summer Session (BOSS)

Hosting institution: Penn State

Cost: $50 registration fee, only if accepted

Format: In–person (State College, PA)

Application deadline: Late March

BOSS is an excellent pick for business-minded high school students. This competitive two-week program gives students a taste of college life via college prep and business fundamentals courses taught by Penn State faculty. In addition to coursework in Hospitality Management, Risk Management, and Management and Organization, students are invited to participate in social activities. Typically, around 60 high school students are accepted to this business program.

7 . Summer High School Sessions and Pre-College Programs

Hosting institution: Adelphi University

Cost: $5,200

Format: In-person (Garden City, NY)

Application deadline: Late May

During this three-week course, high school students can delve into various aspects of starting a business as well as review the parameters for business success. Students are introduced to the primary areas of business including accounting, finance, production, operations, marketing, human resources, and information/technology. Creating business plans and exploring communication skills are integral to the program. Adelphi University summer sessions and pre-college programs made it to the top of our business program list because participants are provided with a ton of valuable information in a very short timeframe.

Business, Economics, Finance, and Leadership Research Resources for High School Students

High school research opportunities:.

Business and Finance research opportunities for high school students

Leadership research opportunities for high school students

High school research and passion project ideas:

Economics and Business passion project ideas for high school students

Leadership passion project ideas for high school students

High school research mentor profiles:

Business research mentors

Economics research mentors

Finance research mentors

Organizational Leadership research mentors

13 Top Biology, Medical, and Neuroscience Research Opportunities for High School Students

1. embarc summer design academy.

Hosting institution: UC Berkeley

Cost: $9,675

Application deadline: Early May

This summer science research program is perfect for high school students interested in both environmental studies and urban planning. Students at embARC study urban design, architecture, and sustainable city components. Throughout the program, you will have access to the Cal Architecture and Urban Design Studio. You’ll also have the chance to participate in Sustainable City Planning and Digital Design workshops and engage in an Environmental Design Conversations Series and a Community Build project.

2. CDC Museum Disease Detective Camp

Hosting institution: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Format: In-person (Atlanta, GA)

Application deadline: End of March

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) had a lot of media exposure during the pandemic and students interested in biology and medicine may recognize its value like never before. This week-long summer program allows high school students to fully immerse themselves in subjects such as epidemiology, environmental health, public health law, global health, and public health communication. Newsworthy topics are woven into many of the camp’s activities. Students will even experience re-created outbreaks and mock press conferences. This is a short but academically rigorous program that we believe provides a unique and valuable student experience.

3. High School Research Immersion Program

Hosting institution: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

Cost: Free; you get paid a $4,800 stipend

Format: In-person (Memphis - Shelby County, TN)

Application deadline: January 31, 2024

This 8-week summer program for incoming high school seniors based in the Memphis, TN area offers you a chance to work in partnership with a research mentor and showcase your research project in a community exhibition. Your research project will be conducted in St. Jude laboratories and could focus on oncology, epidemiology, clinical research, pharmaceutical science, or another topic. You will also work with a science educator; develop a personal statement for your college application; explore St. Jude career paths; and gain valuable experience in scientific research.

Student participants must attend in person 40 hours a week within a typical 9 am-5 pm weekday schedule; housing is not provided. The St. Jude High School Research Immersion Program launched in 2022 , so it’s still relatively new. We believe it has great potential and is an incredible opportunity that Memphis area students with a passion for science and medical research should consider.

4. Texas Tech’s Anson L. Clark Scholars Program

Hosting institution: Texas Tech University

Format: In-person (Lubbock, TX)

Application deadline: February 15, 2024

This free and intensive seven-week program offers exceptional junior and senior high school students interested in biology the opportunity to work with outstanding professors at Texas Tech University's General Health Sciences Center . Although the program is research-based, it also includes weekly hands-on seminars, discussions, and field trips. We’re very impressed by this program’s academic rigor and its on-campus experience with zero cost to the student. The biggest drawback is that only twelve students are selected every year, so getting into this research program is extremely competitive.

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5. Provost’s Summer Mentorship Program (SMP)

Hosting institution: University of Pennsylvania

Application deadline: May

Though this college preparatory experience is only available to Philadelphia, PA high school students, its academic rigor, excellent facilities, and no-cost status earned it a spot on our top biology opportunities for high school students list. SMP is a 4-week immersion summer program that pairs participants with one of the five affiliate University of Pennsylvania Professional Schools. It is highly competitive and typically accepts between 40-50 high school students each year.

6. Brown Environmental Leadership Labs (BELL)

Hosting institution: Brown University

Cost: $2,707-$9,459

Format: In-person (Anchorage, AK; Mammoth, CA; or Providence, RI)

Application deadline: May 10, 2024

For high school students looking to literally expand their horizons, BELL is a great chance to visit a spectacular landscape, learn its native history, and do your own research. You will also investigate the causes and impacts of climate change, identify sustainability practices, and learn about socially responsible leadership. This program guides you to create your own environmental action plan and apply your learnings to issues in your hometown. This high school student research program can be a bit more of an investment than a paid internship, but it’s one of our top picks for future environmental leaders.

7. Summer Child Health Research Internship

Hosting institution: University of Colorado Boulder

Cost: None; you get paid a $3,500 stipend

Format: In-person (Boulder, CO)

Application deadline: Early February

The University of Colorado Boulder’s Department of Pediatrics offers summer research opportunities for rising high school seniors, college students, and first-year medical students. After the research program, the summer research interns hand in a 2 to 3-page written summary of their research experience. They are encouraged to submit these abstracts to local, regional, and national meetings. The Child Health Research Internship also provides funding for travel and registration if a student’s paper is accepted at a medical conference. We feel this is a uniquely robust program and really love that it gives you the opportunity to walk away with professional presentation experience.

8. Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Honors Biology

Hosting institution: Johns Hopkins University

Cost: $1,455

Although the CTY Honors Biology program doesn’t have that same exciting campus feel as some of our other top picks for high school students, we’re impressed by its academic rigor, cost-effectiveness, relative affordability, flexible scheduling, and geographic accessibility. This grade 7+ course allows academically advanced students to dig into challenging biological concepts with expert instructors and a dynamic online environment. Courses are offered in various formats to fit your schedule. If biology isn’t your primary study interest, take note that CTY offers online courses in a variety of other disciplines as well.

9. Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation High School Summer Program

Hosting institution: MD Anderson Cancer Center

Format: In-person (Houston, TX)

Application deadline: January 17, 2024

This is an incredible opportunity for aspiring doctors. The Carl B. & Florence E. King Foundation High School Summer Program offers a rare chance for high school students to participate in a research project in one of the biomedical courses under the guidance of a full-time MD Anderson faculty member. Program participants will learn the importance of basic principles that form the basis of scientific research. Selected students will work in the MD Anderson labs during the week, participating in hands-on research. Students walk away from the experience with a clear understanding of what it means and what it’s like to be a researcher in the biomedical sciences . Although this program is only open to current Texas high school seniors, it made our top 10 list of biology opportunities for teens because its no-cost aspect makes it accessible to underrepresented communities.

10 . Brain Research Apprenticeships in New York at Columbia (BRAINYAC)

Hosting institution: Columbia University

Format: In-person (New York, NY)

Application deadline: Fall

BRAINYAC is a bit of a niche neuroscience program based solely in New York City, but it provides exceptional mentorship at no cost to the student. Zuckerman Institute Brain Research Apprenticeships offer New York City high school students a hands-on summer research experience in a Columbia laboratory. Each student is matched with a Columbia neuroscientist who guides the student through a research project. In the process, participants learn key skills required to work in a research environment, and the experience looks great on a college application.

11 . Summer Academy for Math and Science (SAMS)

Hosting institution: Carnegie Mellon

Format: In-person (Pittsburgh, PA), with an online “pre-course”

Application deadline: March 1, 2024

This is a great program for high school students interested in taking a deep dive into engineering (it’s a five-week course) and it’s free. SAMS concludes with an exciting symposium. Students explore math, science, seminars, writing workshops, small group mentoring, and collaborative learning, as well as have a chance to learn about financial aid, FAFSA, and college admissions. We love this program because it is a fully funded, merit-based program for participants, making it accessible to traditionally underrepresented communities.

12. Summer Student Program

Hosting institution: The Jackson Laboratory

Cost: None; you get paid a $6,250 stipend

Format: In-person (Bar Harbor, ME)

Application deadline: January 29, 2024 (by 12:00 pm EST)

If you’re going to be a graduating high school senior and you love genetics, this highly competitive 10-week program is an amazing opportunity. Approximately 40 students are chosen to work alongside an experienced mentor on a genetics or genome-centered research project. Each student develops an independent project in state-of-the-art facilities, implements their plans, analyzes data, and reports results. Outside the lab, students are encouraged to visit Acadia National Park . You’ll receive a great stipend, room and board is provided, as well as roundtrip travel costs.

13. Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Experience (CNI-X)

Hosting institution: Stanford University

Cost: $1,295

Format: In-person (Stanford, CA); online options are also available

If you’re interested in medicine, this immersion experience for high schoolers is a great pick for you. This shorter 10-day program provides you with basic exposure to the study of neuroscience, psychiatry, and brain science in addition to a potential chance to finish a cooperative capstone project. High school students get the chance to work with Stanford professors and researchers and engage in exciting and cutting-edge research in the standards of neuroscience, clinical neuropsychiatry, and other areas within neuroscience research. In addition to participating in interactive lectures, you would also work in small teams to design solutions to pressing issues related to psychiatry, psychology, and neuroscience.

Biology, Medical, and Neuroscience Research Resources for High School Students

Biology research opportunities for high school students

Medical research opportunities for high school students

Neuroscience research opportunities for high school students

Biology passion project ideas for high school students

Environmental Studies passion project ideas for high school students

Medical passion project ideas for high school students

Neuroscience passion project ideas for high school students

Biology research mentors

Cancer research mentors

Chemistry research mentors

Cognitive research mentors

Environmental Science research mentors

Healthcare research mentors

Medicine research mentors

Psychiatry research mentors

Public Health research mentors

Neuroscience research mentors

Surgery research mentors

Check out the unique journey Polygence cancer research mentor Selena Lorrey took to discover her passions and become a cancer researcher and PhD candidate at Duke University.

14 Top STEM Research Opportunities for High School Students

1. california state summer school for mathematics and science (cosmos).

Hosting institution: University of California (students apply to one of four campuses: Davis; Irvine; San Diego; and Santa Cruz)

Cost: $5,008 (for California residents)

Format: In-person (California)

Application deadline: February 9, 2024

This four-week study program for future scientists, engineers, and mathematicians lets high school students work alongside university researchers and faculty. You can explore topics that extend far beyond the common high school curriculum. Past topics have included Biodiesel from Renewable Sources, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, and Introduction to Autonomous Vehicles.

2. Engineering Academy

Hosting institution: Oxford University

Cost: £6,495 GBP

Format: In-person (Oxford, UK)

This program allows high school students to experience Oxford-style teaching with practical challenges and debates. Small class sizes help students explore the concepts of hydraulics, pneumatics and the math behind engineering. The curriculum also helps students develop skills in public speaking, critical thinking and teamwork. If you’ve always wanted to immerse yourself in Oxford life , love engineering, and can afford its price tag, Engineering Academy is an amazing teen study program to pursue.

3. Academy for Robotics

Hosting institution: University of Texas at Austin

Cost: $2,100

Format: In-person (Austin, TX)

Application deadline: Closes after first 60 accepted registrants

ChatGPT and Bing are all the rage, and the robotics market is expected to grow 400% by 2026. Our list, therefore, would not be complete without a high school research opportunity focused on robotics. This program focuses on the study of AI robotics and teaching participants how to think critically to solve complex problems. Students will delve into Linux and C++ programming, sensor thresholding, skid steering, utilize tools used in robotics research, and compete in a robot race.

4. High School Research Academy (HSRA)

Cost: $3,500 per student

Application deadline: Late March

This great (albeit costly) on-campus experience offers STEM research opportunities for high school students. This 5-week program provides participants with immersive and hands-on research experiences in the fields of biochemistry, biology, environmental science, genetics, neuroscience, genome engineering, data analytics, ecology, and more. Students participate in research projects and active laboratories in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) and get a real taste of life as a researcher.

5. Adler Planetarium Summer High School Internship

Hosting institution: Adler Planetarium

Cost: None; you get paid a $350 stipend

Format: In-person (Chicago, IL)

Application deadline: Early March

If you live in Chicagoland and want a more diverse yet still immersive experience, this is an amazing option. This 6-week hands-on internship allows Chicago area high schoolers to engage with STEAM fields while preparing for a variety of careers. Participants are given space for personal growth and scientific experimentation while connecting with peers from around the city. You may also get the opportunity to present your research at the end of the internship.

6. Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Hosting institution: The Water Environment Federation

Format: In-person (location varies year to year)

This is a bit of a niche opportunity and more of a competition rather than a research program. However, for those high schoolers who can participate, it is an excellent opportunity to expand on your existing research (especially if you have participated in science fairs such as Regeneron ISEF ) and reach a worldwide audience. If you’re a high school student who has conducted a water-related science project, you can present it to this panel of expert judges. They will rate it on relevance, methodology, subject knowledge, practical skills, creativity, and paper/presentation. A national winner is chosen to compete in an international competition in late August, with all-expenses-paid travel to Stockholm.

7. Genes in Space

Hosting institution: Boeing and miniPCR bio, along with ISS U.S. National Laboratory and New England Biolabs

Application deadline: April 15, 2024

If you love space exploration , this program for high school students is a wonderful option. To apply to the program, you must first design DNA experiments that address a challenge in space exploration using tools such as the fluorescence viewer, PCR thermal cycler, or the BioBits cell-free system (or a combination of them). The grand prize is an opportunity to participate in Space Biology Camp and travel to the Kennedy Space Center to see the launch of your DNA experiment into space! Initially, you must be self-driven enough to drive your own research and the social aspect is rather limited at first, but there is the potential for networking on a grand scale. At least one student from each finalist team must be available to present at the ISS Research & Development Conference (late July to early August).

8. CURIE Academy

Hosting institution: Cornell University

Cost: $1,850 (tuition subject to change)

Format: In-person (Ithaca, NY)

We appreciate that this one-week residential engineering program is designed specifically for rising junior and senior high school girls. Because, let’s face it: engineering is still a male-dominated field. This wonderful program helps female students feel more confident about engineering as a viable career choice and shows them graduate school pathways into engineering. High school students work collaboratively with professors, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Additionally, they participate in nine field sessions across the school’s engineering majors, as well as a field session focused on the admissions process.

9. Yale Summer Session

Hosting institution: Yale University

Cost: $4,650 (+$85 technology fee)

Format: In-person (New Haven, CT) and online

If engineering is your passion, this might be a top program for you. At these Yale Summer Sessions, high school students can pick from five-week courses such as Multivariable Calculus for Engineers, Engineering Improv: An Introduction to Engineering Analysis, and Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics. You will get an on-campus feel for the rigors of an Ivy League college experience, but this experience does come with a heftier price tag than other high school STEM research opportunities on our list.

10. Simons Summer Research Program

Hosting institution: Stony Brook University

Cost: None; this is a paid fellowship

Format: In-person (Stony Brook, NY)

Application deadline: February 7, 2024

This prestigious and highly selective program matches about 30 high school students each year with a Stony Brook faculty mentor in the fields of science, math, computer science, and more. Simons Fellows are selected based on their academic achievements, research potential, and personal qualities such as creativity, curiosity, and dedication. This program gives you a great opportunity to join research groups, produce a research abstract, work with a supportive community of peers and mentors, plus receive a stipend award. This high school student fellowship program is supported by the Simons Foundation .

11. Internship and Fellowships

Hosting institution: Library of Congress

Cost: Free, with some paid internships

Format: In-person (various locations)

Application deadline: Various

This hidden gem of a program offers around fifty different internship and research opportunities for all sorts of under-represented areas of interest and is open to high school students. Research opportunities range in focus from the Digital Data and Geographic Information Systems to the Young Readers Center to the Manuscript Division . We love that you can get paid for your time and that the program offers scheduling flexibility. This is an opportunity that’s worth looking into, especially if you’re an ambitious high school student interested in history, architecture, art, or literature.

12 . Laboratory Learning Program

Hosting institution: Princeton University

Format: In-person (Princeton, NJ)

Application deadline: March 15, 2024

This is an intensive, academically rigorous 5 to 6-week summer internship program with prestigious Princeton faculty and research staff, who will mentor you in ongoing research projects. The fields of study are engineering and natural science. High school students submit a 2-page research summary of their summer project at the end of the Laboratory Learning Program internship. These research papers can be used to great effect on college applications and/or serve as a jumping-off point for independent research.

13. Internship Programs

Hosting institution: NASA Office of STEM Engagement (OSTEM)

Cost: None; these are paid internships

Format: In-person (Greenbelt, MD; Wallops Island, VA; New York, NY; or Fairmont, WV)

Application deadline: Varies according to program

It doesn’t get much better than NASA when it comes to name recognition. These internships are designed to provide you with the exciting opportunity of performing research under the guidance of a NASA mentor at an actual NASA facility. NASA offers many internship opportunities for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors over 16 years of age. In addition to being able to put this research experience on your resume and college applications, you will be paid for your efforts. Students can find available intern positions via NASA STEM Gateway .

14. Research Science Institute (RSI)

Hosting institution: Center for Excellence in Education (CEE)

Application deadline: December 13, 2023

Our top cost-effective, prestigious, academically rigorous, socially enriching pick is the Research Science Institute (RSI) program. The biggest caveat is that RSI is highly selective and only admits about 80 high school students each year from a pool of thousands of applicants. The program is hosted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Students are selected based on their academic achievements, research potential, and personal qualities such as creativity, leadership, and motivation. RSI is free, with all expenses paid (including travel, room and board, and research supplies).

STEM Research Resources for High School Students

Computer Science research opportunities for high school students

Data Science research opportunities for high school students

Engineering research opportunities for high school students

Participating in a high school science fair or competition is another opportunity for teens to utilize STEM research - and maybe win awards!

Computer Science passion project ideas for high school students

Data science passion project ideas for high school students

Engineering passion project ideas for high school students

AI and Machine Learning (AI/ML) research mentors

Animation research mentors

Biotech research mentors

Computer Science research mentors

Engineering research mentors

Game Design research mentors

Math research mentors

Polygence computer science mentor Ross Greer wrote a High School Computer Science Research Guide that details everything from how to scope, create, and showcase your own high school research project . It’s a great resource to refer to when deciding on a passion project to pursue, especially if you’re considering taking on a STEM-related study topic.

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13 Top Humanities Research Opportunities for High School Students

1. medill cherubs.

Hosting institution: Medill-Northwestern Journalism Institute

Cost: $5,000

Format: In-person (Evanston, IL)

Application deadline: Mid-March

Notable alumni of the Medill School of Journalism include NPR host Peter Sagal , CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Guupta and Vox co-founder Ezra Klein , which gives you some indication of its reputation and proven track record. This Northwestern University summer program for high school students gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in all aspects of media for five weeks at this esteemed school. Areas of study include: writing, reporting, and editing for print, digital and broadcast; photography; videography; and website and podcast creation. Collaborative learning occurs both inside the classroom and on field trips. The Medill Cherubs program includes private mentoring sessions.

2. Sotheby’s Summer Institute

Hosting institution: Sotheby’s

Cost: $5,560 for day students; $6,845 for residential students

Format: In person (New York, NY)

Monday, February 6 (Early Decision)

Monday, March 13 (Priority + Financial Aid)

Monday, April 24 (Regular)

Curious and passionate about the arts? This two-week program will immerse you in one of the most vibrant art capitals in the world: New York City. High school students are invited to learn the intricacies of running galleries and museums as well as to explore painting and drawing techniques throughout history. Each course draws on the caché of Sotheby's Institute of Art , taking students behind the scenes of world class museums, galleries, auction houses, artists’ studios, and more.

3 . RISD Pre-College

Hosting institution: Rhode Island School of Design

Cost: $8,715 - $11,350

Format: In-person (Providence, RI)

Application deadline: February 8, 2024

This visual arts summer program offers an intensive six-week-long pre-college experience for young artists at, arguably, one of the top design schools in the world. High school students experience a college-style curriculum with day-long studio classes and can avail themselves of resources such as the RISD Nature Lab and the RISD Museum . Participants experiment with new materials, tools and techniques, learn from mentors, and create final projects that can be used for college application. Its hefty cost kept this opportunity for high school students from being higher on our list. However, need-based financial aid can cover up to 50% of the RISD Pre-College program tuition and fees .

4. SCAD Rising Star

Hosting institution: Savannah College of Art and Design

Cost: $6,334

Format: In-person (Atlanta, GA; Savannah, GA; or Hong Kong) and online

Application deadline: May 31, 2024

Creative high school students should definitely consider SCAD Rising Star as one of the top US design schools. This intensive five-week program lets you take two college-level art classes while helping you build your personal portfolios. The program includes courses in a variety of disciplines, and students have the option of participating online, or in-person in Savannah, Atlanta, or even Hong Kong. If the SCAD Rising Star pre-college program cost is prohibitive, you might be eligible for financial aid.

5. Summer Drama Program

Hosting institution: Yale

Cost: $9,475 (plus meals and housing)

Format: In-person (New Haven, CT)

Application deadline: Mid-April

This is our top pick for high school students interested in theater. The Yale School of Drama is considered to be one of the most prestigious and selective drama programs in the world, and the Summer Drama Program at Yale is no exception. Applicants can choose between the 5-week-long Conservatory for Actors and the 10-day Director’s Workshop . With small groups of 10-12 students, participants will benefit from focused collaboration and attention. Rehearsing and clowning are part of the “out of classroom” experience of living on campus.

6. Parsons Summer Intensive Studies

Hosting institution: Parsons New School

Cost: $4,675

Format: In-person (New York, NY or Paris, France)

Application deadline: Mid-May to Mid-June

Parsons School of Design is a highly esteemed art school and this three-week summer program can provide a life-changing experience for arts-minded high school students. Offered in two cultural centers of the art world, this program enables students to focus on their own projects, present their work, explore the city during art and design field trips, network with guest speakers, and earn up to 3 college credits.

7. Met High School Internships

Hosting institution: The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Cost: None; this is a paid internship

If you’re interested in art history, writing, marketing, social media, education, or conservation, this is a top pick for you. The program accepts rising juniors and seniors from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut high schools and connects them with professionals at one of the world’s finest museums: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Throughout this program, students will develop professional skills, build a network, gain work experience amidst masterpieces, and get paid.

8. Summer Immersion: New York City

Cost: $2,825-$12,449

This is our top pick for future journalists, but we also recognize the cost might be prohibitive for some. High school students can choose either a one-week or three-week program and will learn reporting and interviewing skills through writing assignments such as profiles, op-eds, features, and audio pieces. Summer Immersion: New York City is an exciting pre-college program since you will work with Columbia writing professors and acclaimed journalists in the field.

9. Pre-College Scholars: Summer Residential-Track

Hosting institution: University of California, Berkeley

Cost: $15,800 (8-week session); $14,500 (6-week session)

Application deadline: March 11, 2024

Although this program’s social, prestigious, intensive, and academic advantages put it in our top ten picks of humanities research opportunities for high school students, we took points off for its expense. Still, it offers students from all over the world a chance to experience college campus life at UC Berkeley and take college-level courses taught by Berkeley professors. Here, you can earn college credit while experiencing university campus life with a cohort of students. Like us, you may believe that earning college credit can later justify the program’s expense. High school students can enroll in 2 different courses offered through Berkeley’s Summer Sessions program and participate in a series of extracurricular activities and excursions.

10. Camp ARCH

Hosting institution: Texas A&M University

Cost: $1,500

Format: In-person (College Station, TX)

This week-long program sponsored by the Texas A&M School of Architecture is for high-achieving high school students. Camp ARCH combines academic courses with social activities to create an in-depth research-focused pre-college experience. Participants work with faculty and choose an area of focus from architecture, construction science, or landscape architecture and urban planning.

11. Summer Arts Camp

Hosting institution: Interlochen Center for the Arts

Cost: $1,830-$10,880

Format: In-person (Interlochen, MI)

Application deadline: January 15, 2024

Art students, this is a fantastic option for you. High schoolers can choose to spend 1 week, 3 weeks, or 6 weeks at Interlochen Center for the Arts pursuing visual arts, dance, creative writing, music, theatre, or film and new media. Arts Merge, a 3-week interdisciplinary arts program , is open to students in grades 6 through 9. All of Interlochen’s programs encourage the creation of original work as final projects. The social opportunities and beautiful natural surroundings it provides also really round out the teen participants’ experience.

12. Film and Television Summer Institute - Digital Filmmaking

Hosting institution: UCLA

Cost: $4,225

Format: In-person (Los Angeles, CA)

Application deadline: June 1, 2024

Future filmmakers, this is the research opportunity for you. This two-week, intensive production workshop gives high school students a chance to get hands-on experience course can expand high school at one of the most prestigious film schools in the world. Along with filming collaboratively on projects, students will attend film screenings, hear guest speakers, and visit a Hollywood studio. If cost is a barrier, UCLA Summer Sessions Summer Scholars Support is a financial aid option for California high school students that is worth looking into.

13. Art as Experience: Drawing and New Media Program

Cost: $5,040

Art is woefully under-represented on this list, but this immersive Cornell University pre-college studies course can expand high school students’ understanding of the ideas and practices of art today. Studio projects include a range of media from drawing and collage to digital photography and video installation. Participants attend online seminars; synchronous and asynchronous lectures; labs; and discussions, supplemented by readings and critiques. You may earn up to 3 college credits and an official Cornell transcript as a high school student , which helps justify the cost. Despite its virtual nature, many participants have made long-lasting friendships with other artistically gifted students all over the globe.

Humanities Research Resources for High School Students

Architecture research opportunities for high school students

Arts research opportunities for high school students

Arts and Humanities research opportunities for high school students

Literature research opportunities for high school students

Architecture passion project ideas for high school students

Arts and humanities passion project ideas for high school students

Creative Writing passion project ideas for high school students

Design passion project ideas for high school students

Literature passion project ideas for high school students

High school research project mentors:

Arts research mentors

Creative Writing research mentors

Dance research mentors

Fashion research mentors

Illustration research mentors

Languages research mentors

Linguistics research mentors

Literature research mentors

Music research mentors

Photography research mentors

3 Top Social Science Research Opportunities for High School Students

1 . explo psychology + neuroscience.

Hosting institution: Wellesley College

Cost: Residential: $7,895; Commuter: $3,995

Format: In-person (Norwood, MA)

This EXPLO Pre-College Career Concentrations program gives high school students interested in psychology the chance to deep dive into highly specific topics. For the neuroscience concentration, participants will dissect a brain, diagnose mental illness in patients, and analyze neurochemical reactions to connect how brain structures and biology deeply impact the way that humans think and behave. Key benefits for participants include the chances to learn from industry experts, such as Dr. Lisa Feldman Barrett – one of the most-cited scientists in the world for her psychology and neuroscience research – who was a guest instructor in 2023; and earn credits at Sarah Lawrence College, Hampshire College, or Wheaton College .

2. Pre-College Program in American History

Hosting institution: William & Mary and National Institute of American History & Democracy (NIAHD)

Cost: $5,600

Format: Online and in-person (Williamsburg, VA)

15 May 2024: Deadline for domestic students applying to Session 1

1 June 2024: Deadline for domestic students applying to Session 2

History buffs will love this program, both for its historic campus and its curriculum. This three-week program gives high schoolers a good preview of college-level history while helping you earn college credit. Students will participate in class discussions, read 30-60 pages of college-level articles and primary source documents each night, and submit written work each week. Coursework includes Artifacts of American History (a new course), The Road to the American Revolution, and The Road to the United States Civil War.

3. Student Volunteer Program

Hosting institution: United States Secret Service (USSS)

Format: In-person (various)

Application deadline: Various

If you’re interested in sociology, criminal justice, history, government, homeland security, and other related fields, the Secret Service Student Volunteer Program is a unique, hands-on, and fast-paced opportunity. It gives high school students insight into the nature and structure of the USSS while teaching important “soft skills”, such as excellent communication, analytical observation, and problem solving. Student volunteers must be at least 16 years old and devote at least 12 hours per week. While the positions are unpaid, you may receive academic credit for your time.

History and Social Science Research Resources for High School Students

History research programs for high school students

Psychology research programs for high school students

History passion project ideas for high school students

Psychology passion project ideas for high school students

History research mentors

Psychology research mentors

Social Science research mentors

Psychology research guides

How to do psychology research

Data collection in psychology

The IRB approval process

Additional Ways to Conduct Research as a High School Student

Of course, our lists don’t include every pre-college program, internship, and research opportunity available to high schoolers; there are lots of other amazing options out there, likely in your city or state. If you don’t come across a perfect match for you and your interests, create your own research opportunity!

Find high school research programs close to home

Our High School Student Research Opportunities Database is an excellent resource you can use to find research programs for teens based on location .

Work directly with a professor

If you have a clear idea of your passions, you can reach out to professors in your field to see if they are open to collaborating with you. Refer to our Guide to Cold-Emailing Professors (written by Polygence literature research mentor Daniel Hazard , a PhD candidate at Princeton University).

Engage in your own research project

Students with initiative and focus can opt to tackle research on their own. Carly Taylor , a Stanford University senior who has completed several research projects this way, outlined a guide about how to write a self-guided research paper . By reading it, you’ll get a better understanding of what to expect when taking on this type of project.

Need some inspiration to prepare yourself to develop your own high school research opportunity? Here are some resources to help you:

Types of research ideas for high school students

Passion project ideas for high school students

Research projects completed by Polygence students

Choosing the perfect project idea using ikigai

5 exciting ways to discover your passions

How to brainstorm your way to perfect research topic ideas

The essential elements of research

Connect with a research project mentor

You’re never too young to start researching, especially if you think you'll be interested in doing undergraduate research as a college student. And if you're one of many prospective students looking to get into a great school like Rice University, Baylor College, or George Mason University contact us to get matched to a mentor from one of those schools!

Polygence has helped over 2,000 students work with leading research mentors in their field to conduct high-quality research projects. High school students have been able to achieve amazing outcomes, ranging from award-winning short films to conversations with local politicians about policy improvement . We provide research project support , from pairing students with mentors to offering showcasing opportunities , to guiding students in their passion identification and discovery process.

Learn more about what sets Polygence apart from other middle school and high school student research opportunities.

Want to start a project of your own?

Click below to get matched with one of our expert mentors who can help take your project off the ground!

GradPost Blog

UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP) 2024

The UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP) is seeking graduate students, postdocs, and researchers to mentor high school students through a research project in STEM, humanities, social sciences, or education. Up to $1300 per project, per student. Application deadline is June 1. Learn More!

The UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP) is seeking graduate students, postdocs, and researchers for a paid mentorship opportunity this summer. RMP is a highly selective and competitive six-week summer program that engages qualified, talented high school students from all over the world in interdisciplinary, hands-on, university-level research. RMP is seeking mentors who can guide students through a research project in STEM, humanities, social sciences, or education.

Program Details :

RMP students are highly qualified and expect to work independently; in addition, students are well-prepared and have extensive programming, lab, and primary source analysis experience.

Mentors must meet mentees regularly to guide students through projects.

Prospective Mentors may submit up to 2 projects (up to 2 students per project for a compensation of up to $5,200).

The proposed project must have a hands-on component (lab, field, computational, theory, archival, primary source analysis, etc.).

Mentor Eligibility:

Graduate Student, Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Scientist, or Faculty

Must be available (on campus) during the program dates—short travel trips are acceptable during this period as long as it does not impact student support

All disciplines considered in STEM, Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education (interdisciplinary preferred)

Dates : RMP is offered during Summer Session A (June 17-August 2).

Mentor Stipend : $1,300 per project, per student

Application Deadline: June 1, 2024 *Space is limited! Mentor applications are accepted and approved on a rolling basis.

For more program information or to apply , please visit: summer.ucsb.edu/rmp/ mentors General questions, please email: [email protected]

Applying for financial aid?

Learn the steps to complete the FAFSA

The Importance of Research Programs for High School Students

Episode #81. Host Jonathan Hughes talks with Professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering and Global Health Emeritus at Duke University and founder of the International Research Institute (IRI) Dr. Robert Malkin. They discuss his journey to teaching at Duke, his love of science, and his creation of the IRI. Dr. Malkin also speaks to the importance of research, how he helps high school students get involved in it, and how that supports the education of those students. If you enjoy the MEFA Podcast, please leave us a review.

Resources Mentioned in this Episode

Dr. Robert Malkin

International Research Institute

0:00 Introduction

2:20 Interview with Dr. Robert Malkin

Bob Malkin: [00:00:00] Now some people are doing research because universities are starting to look for it more. It's a confusing time now. Things are changing again. For a while standardized test scores were not being looked at by some universities. They were being looked at by other universities. That's still the situation today.

Some yes, some no. And so they're looking at other criteria. What other things do they look at? Of course your grades, what high school you went to, things like that. But those aren't strongly differentiating. I tell people I had a class once where every student in my class was the number one student in their class at their high school, I think.

It's not strongly differentiating. Grades in high school aren't strongly differentiating anymore. So we're looking for other things. One of them might be research. It demonstrates critical thinking, teamwork, the ability, especially if you publish the ability to express yourself.

Jonathan Hughes: Hi everyone. And welcome to [00:01:00] another episode of the MEFA Podcast.

My name is Jonathan Hughes, and that was our guest on the show today. Dr. Robert Malkin. He's an emeritus professor in biomedical engineering at Duke University, and the co-founder of the International Research Institute. And that's an organization that matches up students with research opportunities. And as you heard in that clip, they can then use that research to cite in their college applications and make themselves look good to any prospective colleges that they might be applying to.

So all of you aspiring scientists, and perhaps the generally curious among you, Take note. We're going to be talking about all of that. We're going to be talking about the love of science, and we're going to get to know Dr. Malkin himself and what led him to this work, and you will enjoy that conversation, trust me.

He seems to have lived many lives in his one already, so stay tuned for that. Oh, and just one notice. If you're watching the show, I [00:02:00] have to apologize for a bit of video funkiness at a few junctures here where my image is frozen, and you'll still hear me. speaking just a bit of trouble there, but only slightly, only at one or two points.

And of course, if you're listening to the show, you won't encounter any issues at all. So I'll be back afterwards with the wrap up. But for now, let's welcome our guest to the MEFA Podcast and let him introduce himself to you.

Bob Malkin: So thanks for having me today. My name is Bob Malkin. I'm a professor of the Practice of Biomedical Engineering and Global Health Emeritus at Duke University.

Been at Duke for about 20 years or so. And I'm also the academic director of the International Research Institute of North Carolina, IRI, which is an organization that helps high school students and early college students find research opportunities in U. S. laboratories across the country.

Jonathan Hughes: Did you always wanted to be a scientist? Were you always into science as a kid? And is that, what was [00:03:00] that pathway to becoming a scientist like?

Bob Malkin: Yeah, for me, it was a little bit of an indirect pathway. So when I was a boy, my daughter, my, my brother was an engineer. And he was a student at MIT. He was a chemical engineering student. He brought home a textbook.

He had to take one electrical engineering course as a chemical engineer. He brought home his textbook and I was 13 at the time. And he gave his textbook to me, and I was hooked. I wanted then, from then on, to be an electrical engineer. And I'd studied electrical engineering at the University of Michigan.

Also computer engineering. And went on to do a job was to doing designing heart lung machines and pacemakers. Which is the thing I was really captured by. But I ought to say I lost Some interest in the field. I moved to Switzerland, did exactly the same job designing heart and lung machines, base makers.

But I lost some interest in the field and felt like maybe I was lost my direction. So I moved to Thailand and started teaching English as a foreign language. [00:04:00] And then our project was to try to stop human trafficking. Human trafficking was a huge problem then. And it actually continues to be a problem today, actually.

And what I discovered on that experience was a very small amount of knowledge can make a huge difference in people's lives. And so that kind of got me inspired to find the combination of the engineering and the direct help for people. And that eventually led me to research because I found that actually there was not that much knowledge.

There's not that much direct knowledge focused on how to help people, especially. Or people are impoverished people. And that has eventually led through several other organizations, I started a few other non-profits, to IRI where we focus on just the research piece of the puzzle.

Jonathan Hughes: That is an amazing story. You went from Michigan studying electrical engineering to Switzerland?

Bob Malkin: I did. [00:05:00] I moved to Switzerland for some years.

Jonathan Hughes: And then Thailand. And now, how were you in at Duke? Where did that come along?

Bob Malkin: So that was, so I loved being in Thailand. I loved my work there. I had a contract. I could have continued. I probably would still be living there today. But a professor at Duke called me while I was in Thailand and said, look, you come and study with me. I'll pay your tuition, I'll give you a salary, you'll get a PhD, and I was like I can't turn that down. Free tuition, a salary, so I was actually making money going to school and a degree.

This was a well known professor who was going to help me, learn the field and learn to be a scientist. So I just couldn't turn that down. So I moved back to Durham to study at Duke. So I was a student at Duke a long time ago. Eventually did go on to get a Ph. D., then was a professor in New York and Tennessee, and eventually moved back to Duke as a professor in 2004.

Jonathan Hughes: This is a compliment. I'm having a hard time keeping this all in my head because you've lived such a [00:06:00] full life.

Bob Malkin: It's been a complicated life and I've loved it. It's been a great experience every step of the way, including being a scientist.

Jonathan Hughes: You, you do have an invention to your credit, right?

Bob Malkin: Absolutely. We have several. We have early in my career, we patented a lot of the work. So I've got some patents on pacemaker related devices. Later in my life, I discovered that patents don't necessarily make things more available to the general public. In the developing world, in the resource poor setting.

So we went to a lot more open source and trade secrets protections for our devices. The PrEP pouch, a couple million units of that has been distributed. We also have a device for cervical cancer. PrEP pouches for HIV AIDS prevention of transmission of HIV. And several other technologies.

Jonathan Hughes: So there's definitely, a through line going through this conversation, which is, you mentioned earlier, marrying that love of engineering, electrical engineering, science, [00:07:00] and philanthropy in a way or, helping the developing world. And so that leads you, of course, to IRI. So tell me how you created IRI, which is the International Research Institute.

Bob Malkin: Absolutely. I've been working with high school students my entire life as a professor. So 25 years, 20 years at Duke, I've always had high school students in the lab. However, they've always been from the Durham area, from local high schools. When the pandemic hit. That became impossible. There was a period where it was very confusing how Duke was going to handle classes, whether we're going to do remote classes, in person classes, who was going to be on campus, and high school students were a lower priority than getting faculty and undergraduates, for example, back on campus, graduate students.

And so we, originally I got together with another Dukie and we created IRI just to facilitate continuing the relationships we already [00:08:00] had with high school students. But, we discovered almost immediately, there were thousands of students all over the US and all over the world that never had access to great labs.

Never mind COVID, never mind, all the problems we were having just finding a way to have people on campus without, being separated by six feet at all times and things like that. They never had access. People in rural parts of the US, which aren't near big research universities. Or even folks in cities where those are very competitive spots and they just can't find a spot or a spot that's intellectually matched with what they can do.

And then that's not to say anything about people in other countries, many of which don't have major research universities. We've continued IRI as a completely remote opportunity for research for high school students and now expanding to young college students. We offer programs that range from just a few weeks to several years and we accommodate [00:09:00] students who are, family incomes, the yearly family income of $3,000 to yearly family incomes of $300,000.

So we cover a very wide range of people and a very wide range of intellectual interests. Now, 21 universities are involved in the consortium, so it's spread far beyond Duke, all American universities, U. S. universities. And we're offering hundreds of opportunities per year for students.

Jonathan Hughes: And so what form does this research take?

Bob Malkin: So that's a great question. A lot of people think about research as, somebody in a white coat, goggles, staring at a microscope, mixing stinky chemicals, stuff like that. And that's absolutely a valid view of research. That is one kind of research. But there's plenty of research that doesn't fit into that category.

Think about a neuroscientist who's looking at MRI images. Very often, he or she is not the one who takes the MRI images. There's a tech who runs the MRI machine. They're looking at computer files. Or somebody who does work based on surveys. A lot of [00:10:00] psychological research is asking people questions.

It has nothing to do with chemicals and a bench. So there's a lot of kinds of research that don't depend on coming to a lab, wearing the white coat, staring in on the microscope. We are a completely remote operation, so we only do those types of research. Of course, it's limiting. It's not every kind of research that you can do.

The other thing to think about is there's we run at least two or three different programs, and it mirrors the kind of programs that a lot of universities are running. We run what we call introductory programs. Those just cover the first couple of steps of research, that's how to form a question, and how to write a literature review.

In other words, what has been done in the field. But we also run longer programs, which run one, two, three, four years. Some of them are dealing with existing data. That would be the example of perhaps a researcher looking at somebody else's MRI database. And there's a lot of these open source databases now.[00:11:00]

Or somebody doing original research, where they write up the literature review, find a question, just like everybody else. But they go on to write the methods, get research approval. Gather the data and now analyze the data, write it up and eventually publish it. So there's a lots of different types of research that we cover and it covers a wide range of time commitments.

Jonathan Hughes: But you mentioned that you always had high school students in the lab. And that's what, in a way, ties you to us here at MEFA and that is this has part of the college application process, right? They're having research. And why would a high school student want to do this research? And how do they, how did those students in your lab at Duke actually, how did they get there?

Bob Malkin: Yeah, it's a great question. So let's start with the first one. Why? Ideally, the reason that you're doing research is because you as a high school student are passionate about the topic. You just love whatever it is that you're looking into, and you want to learn more. So the most [00:12:00] overriding factor, I would say, of all folks in labs is curiosity.

They love the area that they're looking at, and they're passionate about finding out more, and sharing that knowledge with others. So we hope that's why everybody is doing research. Now, some people are doing research because universities are starting to look for it more. It's a confusing time now.

Things are changing again. For a while, standardized test scores were not being looked at by some universities. They were being looked at by other universities. That's still the situation today. Some yes, some no. And so they're looking at other criteria. What other things do they look at?

Of course, your grades, what high school you went to, things like that. But those aren't strongly differentiating. Thank you. I tell people I had a class once where every student in my class was the number one student in their class at their high school at Duke. It's not strongly differentiating.

Grades in high school aren't strongly differentiating anymore. So we're looking for other things. One of them might be research. It demonstrates critical thinking, teamwork, [00:13:00] the ability, especially if you publish, the ability to express yourself. On a scientific topic. As long as I've been doing admissions at universities we've always been looking at essays because writing is just so critical and expression is just so critical for success.

Even for me, remember, I'm an engineering professor, I demand that my students be able to write And express themselves well, and being able to publish demonstrates that so that answer is the why why people, why high school students in particular might be looking for this, how is much more complicated.

Let me just quickly outline. I've got 7 steps. I do have a book coming out with this, and I also have a YouTube. Video on this topic at theIRI YouTube channel, but very briefly Let me just talk quickly through what the steps are and aren't and let me start with what they aren't The way you don't find a job is by emailing professors in the area with a long list of your super credentials That just doesn't [00:14:00] impact faculty.

I sometimes during the season when a lot of high school students are looking for positions I can get 20, 30 emails per day from people looking for positions in my lab. And that extends to 35 year old postdocs down to 16 year old high school students. So they're just not possible for a 16 year old high school student to have.

Accomplishments that can compare to a 35 year old who is a postdoc, already published, already maybe knows my methods, so could come in the lab and day one start doing experiments. There's just no way. The reason that I take high school students is because, and this is true for all of my colleagues we are passionate about education.

We want people to know about research. You want young minds, young people to know about research, too. How do we generate knowledge? Where does knowledge come from? What is a fact? How do we know something? So what brings Thank you for joining us. Us to a resume of the 20 or 30 we get that day [00:15:00] is the passion.

Number one, before you start writing emails, before you start generating lists of people to talk to, before you start talking to people, figure out what you're passionate about. What are you interested in? That's going to get you the lab job much more convincingly than five more AP courses or something like that.

My recommendation to high school students is write a list of 20 things you wish you knew about your field. If you can't develop a list of 20 things, not Googleable facts, not something that's on Wikipedia. These are things you don't know you wish you knew and you can't find them. If you can't generate 20 questions, it may not be a passion.

That might just be an interest of yours. If you can generate 20 questions, then you probably have identified a passion and you're ready to start looking for faculty. Drive your emails with that passion. Start out by expressing that passion. Perhaps you did a science fair project around it. Maybe you have a biology teacher you've talked to about it.

Perhaps you read an article from the lab on the topic. Somehow, [00:16:00] Express your passion. That might lead to an interview. That's the next step. There's a few steps in between, but the next step you're going for is an interview. At the interview, that's when those questions really matter. Faculty value good questions more than good answers.

So during your conversation with the faculty, use your questions. Ask those questions. I really have been wondering why. Then ask the question. They may not know the answer, but they'll be impressed that you asked the question. And then finally, the last stage, skipping a few again, is negotiating something that will work with your schedule.

High school students tend to be very busy. And labs sometimes, they only do experiments from 9 to 3 in the afternoon, or Nine to noon, or maybe only on weekends, or maybe only at midnight. It depends what the lab is and what they're doing. Just got to make sure you can meet the expectations of the laboratory.

So it's a process. In summary, it's a process. Drive the process with your passion. But be patient. It can easily take six months to [00:17:00] find an in person lab job.

Jonathan Hughes: It really does mirror, in a lot of ways, the college admissions process, right? They want to see passionate students, and they want to see they get a sense of the students from their activities, from their essays they, and they want to see a student who is, In charge of their own, story, in a sense.

Bob Malkin: Absolutely and that's not an accident. I was associate director of undergraduate studies and engineering for a while. So I did work with the admissions office on the same faculty in the morning. I had meetings in the admissions office. I'm the same faculty in the afternoon when I'm meeting with students in the lab.

So the fact that, faculty are looking for a particular thing. In their classroom in their lab. It's not that surprising.

Jonathan Hughes: So tell me about iri then since it's inception you mentioned you're growing to over 21 Universities who are part of the program. How many students? Have passed through have you got to that point yet where you've Graduated or, students have gone through the program and you know how well you're doing and [00:18:00] have an idea of the success of the program.

Bob Malkin: Absolutely. So we've had a couple hundred students come through the program. And we're growing very quickly. So we have, I think, another 50 spots open this year for students. So we have quite a few students coming through now. A lot of those are doing the introductory programs. Those are the shorter programs.

Very popular over the summer. Typically in the range of 8 to 12 weeks, although we offer a 4 week summer experience as well. But we absolutely have students who have made it all the way through the 4 year program. In fact, I just submitted a manuscript this morning from one of my high school students.

So we've had publications across the field on oncology, prosthetics diabetes indigenous populations vaccine hesitancy just a wide variety of students interests. And these publications are very well received in, international archived, impact factor rated journals. So high school students absolutely can do this, and [00:19:00] we've been very successful with our students.

Jonathan Hughes: Are there any stories of appreciation coming from students coming to you and thanking you for giving them this opportunity to do this work?

Bob Malkin: That's the secret of, that's the hidden secret, of being an educator. You love students. Nobody really does this. This job doesn't pay well, and it's a pain in the rear end, but love students.

So absolutely. I have students from 30 years ago that I'm still in touch with. And there's certainly have IRI students with. In fact, I'm meeting with a student in a few days. That published with me as a high school student five years ago or something like that now she's a college student so absolutely staying in touch with the students.

The other thing is for the students I tell the students this is important for you as well It's not just that I feel good that I can have a coffee with you three years later four years later You may decide to go to graduate school And if you do you're going to need letters of recommendation all the [00:20:00] same kinds of things that you needed to get into undergraduate You need them and maybe even need them more You Going to graduate school.

And so you want to stay in touch with the educators, both the high school, but also faculty from your university that you really appreciated that you really felt changed your life. They can help you throughout your career for the entire rest of your life. Just a small side note, IRI was started in part with a student that I had when she was 17 years old.

She's much, much older than that now. And she was one of the co-founders with me of IRI. So we had stayed in touch all of those years. 20 plus years and through her career as a professional and then eventually her career as an entrepreneur.

Jonathan Hughes: What we've been talking about, in some ways, making it easier for kids who are interested in this field to enter college programs and ultimately to become a scientist. Why is that important and do you see any sort of risk [00:21:00] that people are not going to be interested in entering those fields anytime?

Bob Malkin: So that's a two part question. And I'll add a third part. It is absolutely true. We get a lot of children who are the children of scientists themselves, engineers, bioengineers, biotech doctors, whatever.

And of course, they have a predilection to enter the field. We all do. We all tend to follow in the footsteps of our parents, brothers, sisters, whatever, as I mentioned earlier about myself and my brother. But that leaves a lot of people behind. A lot of first generation college going kids, their parents, art scientists, their parents are doing whatever it takes to make it happen.

And so this leaves a lot of folks behind. So it's really important that we create programs. That allow everyone access to the lab everyone to discover. Hey, this is really cool. I can do this. I can Develop I can discover I can find out I can research There are tons of great programs [00:22:00] lots and lots of great programs on campuses and off campuses and whatever But it's really important.

I think to create these programs with also a gentle on ramp So students can just get a taste, maybe a summer perhaps program, if they really like it, go for maybe a trimester or a semester, then go on for two, three years. And I find problems on both sides. That is to say, parents who just pushing their kids into a three year program to do a research in a lab, and then you talk to the kids, and they just have no interest in what's going on.

They're just doing it because somebody told them, and it's really a shame. They could be great at something else, and they're probably being turned off, actually, from science. And at the other side, students who don't have access or don't feel they have access to a lab, want to get into the field and can't figure out how to do it.

So we have problems at both ends and it is just essential that we make pathways, especially for those students whose parents perhaps did not go to college. That's a group that [00:23:00] really has a challenge finding great lab positions.

Jonathan Hughes: Any final words of advice for those students or for any students who might be interested in entering a science related field, maybe they're in high school?

Bob Malkin: Yeah, my number one piece of advice is try to find an in person lab job. Even though IRI is a completely remote program, your preference should be an in person lab job. And the two main reasons are you might find a mentor, mentors in general in life. But certainly in science are really important to your success Somebody who's been down the path can give you advice from the inside So developing that mentorship it could be graduate students It could be a faculty member a junior faculty member postdoc or maybe some undergraduates Developing that network.

It's not a skill that a lot of high school students seem to spend time on Developing a professional network, but it's not too early it's a really valuable skill and it can really help you Get into college, but [00:24:00] also succeed in college and succeed in your career in the long run So that would be my advice for everyone.

Jonathan Hughes: Dr. Robert Malkin. Thank you so much for being here I really enjoyed this conversation

Bob Malkin: Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.

Jonathan Hughes: All right. Thank you so much to Dr. Bob Malkin for being on the show. I really love that talk. And folks, if you liked what you heard today on the show and you want to learn more from us on planning, saving, and paying for college and career readiness then you can follow the show and you can find us wherever you get your podcasts.

And remember, please. It really does help us to keep doing what we're doing and getting the show out in front of folks like you. Oh, and please tell your family and friends who might be looking for information on the topics we cover about our [00:25:00] show. I want to thank Shaun Connolly, our producer. I want to thank AJ Yee, Lisa Rooney, and Lauren Danz for their assistance in getting the show posted so that you can hear it.

I'll be back next week, but until then, my name is Jonathan Hughes, and this has been the MEFA Podcast. Thanks.

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Direct-to-Major Admission

I am the ischool.

Everyone interested in Informatics deserves to join our community. However, until the school grows large enough to meet demand, Informatics is a capacity constrained major. The best way to join our community is Direct Admission, which gives high school students with a strong interest in studying Informatics the chance to apply to the iSchool while filling out their UW application. By simply selecting “Informatics” as your first-choice major on your UW application, you will automatically be considered for Direct Admission.

Application deadline

Nov. 15 is the application deadline for first-year students to the UW — this includes Running Start students. Check UW Office of Admissions’ website for details. Note that for Direct Admission, we only consider applicants for autumn admission.

Preparation

The best high school preparation for pursuing Informatics is to take advanced high school classes (Honors, AP, IB, etc.) in English, math and science. It is not a requirement to have had computer programming courses in high school, or computer-related work experience, to gain admission to our program. However, courses such as AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A are good preparation for some of the programming courses required by the degree, and may give you a sense of some of the topics in data, design, development and society that our degree teaches.

How to apply

All applicants who meet UW admissions criteria and who list Informatics as their first-choice major on their application will be automatically considered for direct admission. The UW Office of Admissions will offer direct admission based on a holistic review that includes established criteria and selection guidelines developed in partnership with the Informatics program.

See the UW Admissions website for more information about general admission requirements and how to apply to the UW.

If you are not accepted to the Informatics program

First-year students who are accepted to the UW, but not accepted directly to the Informatics major are encouraged to apply to the program again in subsequent years. Previous denials have no bearing on the admissions committee’s decisions.

Q: How does the selection process for direct admission work?

A: The Office of Admissions uses a holistic review process to assess applications. After applicants are selected for general admission to the UW, the Informatics admission team receives a list of students who requested Informatics as their first-choice major. The Informatics admissions team uses the holistic review assessment from the Office of Admissions to make direct admission decisions for the Informatics program. (Note, the Informatics team does not have access to the original application submitted to the Office of Admissions.)

Q: How can a student improve their chances of being selected for direct admission?

A: Other than listing Informatics as their first choice major in the undergraduate application, there is nothing specific that a student can do to improve their chances of being selected for direct admission. Since the first step in the process is being admitted to the UW, students should just focus on preparing a strong application. For advice about that process, please contact the Undergraduate Admissions Office directly: https://admit.washington.edu/contact/ .

Q: I'm a Running Start student and am interested in pursuing Informatics, is there a specific associate's degree I should be working towards?

A: As a Running Start student pursuing an associate of arts or an associate of science degree will provide a solid foundation for informatics, as the informatics major combines principles and theories from computer science and the liberal arts. There isn’t one associate's degree that the admissions committee would prefer over another. However, for an individual student, there may be an associate's degree that will better prepare you for your post-college goals. We encourage you to be in contact with an advisor at your community college to incorporate the prerequisites we require of our transfer applicants into your plan of study.

Q: How many students are admitted through direct admission?

A: For Autumn 2022, we received 459 applications; 148 were admitted and 101 accepted the offer of admission.

Q: How many applicants for direct admission are you expecting in the future?

A: While it is difficult to predict exact numbers, the number of applicants for direct admission has increased over the last few years:

High School to iSchool

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How important is research for bs/md programs.

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Direct medical programs, often referred to as BS/MD programs, are some of the most competitive programs in the country. With programs at Baylor University, Brown University and Case Western Reserve University accepting less than 3% of all its applicants, these programs are often more competitive than the Ivy League. They are looking for exceptional students who are completely committed to becoming physicians. That means the students have spent the better part of their high school career pursuing STEM-focused activities, including physician shadowing, volunteering in healthcare settings and leadership positions in clubs.

Many BS/MD hopefuls pursue research as a way to build their resume.

Numerous BS/MD programs like Rensselaer Polytechnic University, like to see students with extensive research experience. Its program, aptly named the Physician-Scientist Program, wants to see students who will not only participate in research during their tenure in the program but also lead and create their own research projects. The University of South Carolina’s Accelerated Undergraduate to M.D. program has an extensive research and thesis component that is required throughout the student’s academic career. The University of Rochester offers funding for summer research for its BS/MD students. Similarly, the University of Illinois at Chicago looks for students who can demonstrate their “research aptitude.”

What Type Of Research Do BS/MD Programs Accept?

High school students have access to a wide array of research opportunities. School-related options could include science fair projects or AP Seminar and AP Research. Students might also choose to pursue camps or programs over the summer, which allows them to dedicate more time to research. Other students find independent research projects with a local professor. Alternatively, others opt to write a literature review paper to get published.

When BS/MD admission officers review applications, they don’t pit one type of experience against another. They know not every student will be able to find a local professor who allows them to research with them or can afford to do a paid summer program that spans numerous weeks or months. Consequently, they typically will consider holistically the depth of a student’s research experience, irrespective of the type of research the student completes.

Virtual Or In-Person Programs?

Both virtual and in-person experiences can add value to a BS/MD application. However, it depends on the program’s learning objectives and deliverables. Some students don’t have the flexibility to travel to an in-person camp and spend multiple weeks or months there. The University of Pittsburgh’s Guaranteed Admission Program says that “while in-person experiences are encouraged, virtual or remote experiences will be considered when evaluating the applicant.” For those students who have other obligations, a virtual camp might be the perfect fit and still offer a valuable experience.

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The research experience doesn’t necessarily have to align with the student’s research interests, but it can often be helpful if it does. However, BS/MD admission officers know that high school students are still exploring their interests, which will likely evolve over the years. An opportunity that doesn’t align with the student’s interest will still be valuable because it allows the student to gain valuable skills that they can leverage to other research experiences in the future.

Summer programs might give students a chance to explore dual interests. Some students interested in medicine might also want to explore computer science or Artificial Intelligence, so finding an opportunity that allows them to blend those interests might be ideal. For example, Rising Researchers , a sister company of Moon Prep, is hosting two five-week summer camps that allow students to practice AI and Machine Learning to study human diseases. Other camps, like Penn Summer Academies, allow students to apply coding skills to other areas of study.

How Long Should The Research Experience Be?

The typical length of a research experience, especially one in the summer, can vary from as short as one week to up to eight weeks. A longer research experience can give students a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter and, importantly, the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with their mentor and fellow students. However, the duration is not the sole determinant of a meaningful experience. Students should also look to see what the tangible outcomes of the program, such as a research paper, skills gained, letter of recommendation and more.

For students who find an independent research experience, the relationship might span several months or even years. Those experiences might result in more fruitful research results and a strong relationship between the student and the mentor.

Are Publications Required?

An experience resulting in a research publication is an added bonus, but it isn’t a requirement. If a student writes a research paper, even if not published, can still demonstrate the student’s scientific writing ability and add value to their college application.

Every BS/MD program is different, and the admission officers' value of research might vary from program to program. Ultimately, BS/MD programs are looking for students who are passionate about medicine and have had extensive experiences to affirm that passion. The College of New Jersey stated in an interview with Moon Prep that they are looking for passionate students, be it a deep involvement in Boy Scouts, Taekwondo or music. Therefore, students should never feel obligated to research if it does not align with their interests. Being genuine in their activities and demonstrating their passions is how to build a resume that stands out to BS/MD admission officers.

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ACS Project SEED Program – Bringing Research and High School Students Together

This summer, 17 high school students in the American Chemical Society Snake River Section will have the opportunity to conduct research through the ACS Project SEED program.

Project SEED, originally “Summer Experiences for the Economically Disadvantaged,” was born in 1968. Now 56 years old, the program has provided hands-on summer research experiences and webinars to over 13,000 students across the U.S. and its territories. The Project SEED Mission is “to provide sustained STEM research, learning, and growth opportunities for high school students with diverse identities and socioeconomic backgrounds so they can be empowered to advance and enrich the chemical science enterprise.”

Each year, high school students spend 10 weeks in an industry lab or at host institutions like Boise State University working alongside PIs and qualified mentors on cutting-edge research projects. In addition to the technical skills learned in the lab, students will participate in professional development activities to enhance skills in time management, teamwork, and research presentation. The Project SEED webinars cover topics such as personal and chemical safety, career exploration, college readiness, resume building, and mental health and wellness. The summer experience is culminated in a poster presentation where the student present their research, with this year’s presentations being held at the Idaho Conference on Undergraduate Research.

The ACS Snake River Section Project SEED coordinator is Boise State’s Dr. Don Warner, a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. This year he placed 17 students, 8 of whom are returning participants. He received 70 applications and conducted 24 initial interviews to fill the 9 open spots. Two students are going to Northwest Nazarene University to work with Jerry Harris on synthesizing and characterizing zinc oxide nanoparticles with enhanced antimicrobial properties. Two more will go to Danny Xu’s lab at Idaho State University – Meridian to research the effects of Lunar and Martian regolith on zebrafish.

The remaining 13 students will be working in several laboratories across campus at Boise State University this summer. The PIs hosting students, and their projects, are:

Oliviero Andreussi: Computational Study of Materials for Electro-Catalysis
Leonora Bittleston: 4: Exploring the effects of leaf chemistry on microbial colonization
Eric Brown: Development of molecules that inhibit a bacteria’s ability to cause disease
Ken Cornell: Analysis of Antimicrobial Activity of Nanoparticles and Organometallic Complexes
Jenée Cyran & Brian McClain: Developing innovative Physical Chemistry Lab Modules
Owen McDougal: Chemistry of Food Systems
Konrad Meister: Cool Molecules: Understanding the Mode of Action of Ice-Binding Macromolecules
Don Warner: Synthesis of small molecules for inhibition of tumor metastasis
Claire Xiong: Sodium Ion Batteries

Participants in the Project SEED program are awarded a stipend for their efforts, providing low-income students the opportunity to participate while earning money to help support their families. This crucial funding in 2024 is largely from the American Chemical Society, but also contributed to by Northwest Nazarene University, the ACS Snake River Local Section, and from Boise State University’s College of Arts & Sciences, Research and Economic Development, Materials Science and Engineering, Chemistry & Biochemistry, several individual PIs, and the university itself. Some of the program’s graduates will also receive scholarships from Project SEED to help fund their undergraduate education.

For more information on this amazing program, visit ACS News to read Project SEED’s Impact Continues to Grow .

Interested in getting involved? Visit Project SEED on the American Chemical Society’s webpage.

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'I dream of investigating virtual reality and making an impact on the world'

Zixin Xu: Computer Science & Psychology

A&S Communications

Computer Science & Psychology Shanghai, China

What is your main extracurricular activity and why is it important to you?

My main extracurricular activity was co-founding an innovative Technology Film and Production Society club. I wish to experience more innovative technology and film opportunities, and this club provided many memories.

What have you accomplished as a Cornell student that you are most proud of?

I was researching computer graphics, specifically on cinematography interfaces. I was really proud of it because I completed and led the research from start to finish and was able to submit it to a conference.

Where do you dream to be in 10 years?

I dream of investigating virtual reality and making an impact on the world.

Every year, our faculty nominate graduating Arts & Sciences students to be featured as part of our Extraordinary Journeys series. Read more about the Class of 202 4.

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High School Student Researches Real-Life Marketing

Authentic exploratory research hones students’ business and analysis skills..

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This is the second post in a series.

What if high school students could conduct methodical research on important questions like graduate students and researchers do? Well, as the students at Laguna Beach High School (LBHS) are demonstrating, they can.

In Part I of this series I interviewed Jun Shen, the passionate teacher and edtech coordinator who runs LBHS’s Authentic Exploratory Research (AER) Program . AER is an independent research course inspired by Palo Alto Unified School District’s Advanced Authentic Research program . The program pairs students with adult mentors (such as LBUSD staff, industry experts, and academics) who assist the teens in researching their own big questions in fields of their choice. Shen’s explanation of how the AER program works, combined with students’ input through the rest of this interview series, lets us glimpse some of the different ways students can use the program to pursue individual passions , as well as how other educators can implement such a program.

LBHS student Aryana Mohajerian was the first to give us an account of her experience in AER and the findings that her AER research produced. Mohajerian’s answers follow each question below.

Jenny Grant Rankin: In short, what was your research study about?

Aryana Mohajerian: In short, my research was about marketing a membership program to different target demographics in a small, high-end, health-conscious, confectionary business in Hawaii.

I analyzed how new marketing efforts will help increase overall revenue and cash flow in the business. The new strategies I implemented were creating a set target market using survey data. I also created a brand kit with all the customer values, color palettes for the website, and copy.

JGR: What were your most important findings?

AM: My most important findings were that it is critical to know the psychology of business and be able to put yourself in the customer’s shoes. I had to figure out what a target market’s values, goals , and mindset are like to better appeal to their logic and emotions when trying to make a sale.

I distributed a survey to better understand the company’s current customers, what their values are, and what draws them towards purchasing.

When proposing ideas for what draws customers to the company, my hypothesis proved correct. 100% of people selected that they value environmental sustainability and the farm-to-table process. 70% of people selected that they are health-conscious consumers and 85% love the Hawaii-island, beachy lifestyle. With these proven conclusions, I created three new membership plans for Lonohana, each targeting a specific audience, according to the survey results.

The first membership was family-oriented, catering to children and their parents. The customer values were inclusivity, appeals to a health-conscious family, and living an active lifestyle in the great outdoors. The second membership caters to young adults. For example, college students or recent graduates living a youthful, and spontaneous lifestyle. This membership was an affordable line of products, since young adults like to have fun on a budget. These young individuals love the island lifestyle of Hawaii and love trying Lonohana’s unique flavors. The third membership was targeted toward more professional and formal individuals. These high-end customers value luxury products and the education behind making them. This membership included informational cards on each bar, describing how it was made and where the ingredients come from.

JGR: What was the biggest thing you learned about conducting research?

AM: The biggest thing I learned about conducting research is that it requires thorough planning and first making a hypothesis of what the results will be. Understanding the psychology behind why people spend money on luxury items was essential because it guided me on how I worded my survey to get the most honest responses from customers. For example, a customer value I noted was a sense of family and community involvement. Therefore, I concluded that customers are likely to purchase membership boxes to have enough gifts on hand for family or community gatherings, which was proven true based on the survey.

JGR: What was the biggest thing you learned about communicating research?

AM: The biggest thing I learned about communicating research is that I need to create an eye-catching, yet simple poster to present at the AER Symposium. When I did my presentation, I mainly focused on the visuals of my project and some easy-to-read graphs. I brought the marketing materials I had made, such as brochures, business cards, and the printed-out brand kit to show my audience. I found that having a hands-on experience with cohesively colored materials helped me get my message across in a fun way that did not bore anyone. Having all these materials helped invoke questions from my audience as well.

JGR: What was your favorite part about AER?

AM: My favorite part about AER was the fact that I was able to work with a real-world company while in high school alongside a mentor who was working my dream job. AER was such a unique opportunity for me to learn about my interest in marketing and the psychology behind why we buy luxury items. Although this was a class, it did not feel like traditional learning because I went out into the real world to enhance a business’s marketing tactics. Learning by doing is the best way to gain experience. I learned a lot more about marketing through my AER project than I did taking “Intro to Marketing” in a dual-enrollment community college class.

It’s exciting to find that the program advanced not only Mohajerian’s research skills but her career skills, as well. That is a common theme in students’ accounts of their AER experiences.

Jenny Grant Rankin, Ph.D., is a Fulbright Specialist for the U.S. Department of State.

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Ask students in Stanford University’s Virtual People course what they did in class that day and you’ll get some surprising answers. The students might have floated in space, gaping down at planet Earth below. They might’ve swum amid a beautiful coral reef watching – with each passing second representing years – as climate change caused the reef’s ruin. The students might’ve gone for a walk, but as a person with a skin color different than their own and subjected to prejudice.

Class photo of Virtual People instructor Jeremy Bailenson and students as they are immersed entirely in virtual reality while taking the inaugural summer quarter class. (Image credit: Tobin Asher/VHIL)

The Virtual People course is among the first and largest courses to be taught almost entirely in virtual reality, or VR, with several hundred students in the summer and fall courses. These students participate in the all-remote class via a VR headset, worn over their eyes like an opaque scuba mask, plus two handheld controllers to move about the virtual environments.

Jeremy Bailenson , the Thomas More Storke Professor in the School of Humanities and Sciences and professor of communication, has taught the Virtual People course since 2003, but it’s only recently that advances in VR technology have enabled the class to be taught entirely in VR. Course instructors and students spent more than 60,000 shared minutes together in VR environments during the summer quarter, and are projected to spend about 140,000 shared minutes together during the fall.

“In Virtual People , the students don’t just get to try VR a handful of times. VR becomes the medium they rely on,” said Bailenson, the founding director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL). “To the best of my knowledge, nobody has networked hundreds of students via VR headsets for months at a time in the history of virtual reality, or even in the history of teaching. It’s VR at an incredible scale.”

The class examines VR’s expanding and evolving role in areas including popular culture, engineering, behavioral science and communication. Roughly 10 million VR systems are in use in the United States alone, yet many people are unaware of how far the technology has come and its applications beyond entertainment.

“I had previously understood VR as something just for video games,” said Allison Lettiere, who graduated in 2021 with undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science. Lettiere said she found the technology’s ability to instill empathy-inducing experiences of walking in someone else’s shoes compelling and potentially useful in her line of work, which is focused on technological accessibility.

Sophie Marie Wallace, ’23, who is majoring in science, technology and society, also had her views of VR transformed in the class. “I was able to discover a passion I want to pursue in the future, which is using VR to improve sports performance in both land and aquatic sports,” Wallace said.

“The course is built around learning by doing, allowing students to experience and build applications that previous students could only read about, from therapeutic medicine to sports training to teaching empathy,” said Bailenson.

The class has drawn students majoring in diverse disciplines, including economics, political science, communication, anthropology, biology, computer science, film and media studies, comparative literature, art practice, psychology and sociology.

“There’s no better way to learn about something other than to experience it yourself, and that’s what this class did,” said Hana Tadesse, who plans to graduate next year with a major in computer science and a minor in communication.

Connecting and learning virtually

Virtual reality hardware has been part of Bailenson’s Virtual People course since it began, though usually as in-class demonstrations by graduate student assistants and student volunteers. Then, in March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic struck and all classes had to be taught remotely.

Bailenson realized virtual reality could reunite classmates as they learn about the technology and experience it first-hand. “After teaching remotely for over a year, there was a hunger to break out of the Zoom grid and try something different and exciting,” said Bailenson.

The university mailed VR headsets to students taking the course. Thus equipped, the students created virtual characters for themselves, called avatars, and virtually met up for class sessions.

Students learn the ropes of VR through a range of activities and explorations, including VR “field trips,” by guest lecturers such as Courtney Cogburn. Cogburn, associate professor of social work at Columbia University, is the lead creator of 1000 Cut Journey , an immersive VR experience developed in collaboration with VHIL that teaches racial empathy by having the viewer experience life as a black man who encounters racial prejudice. Another guest lecturer is former Stanford and National Football League quarterback Trent Edwards, who shows students how to learn about football plays in VR.

One of the most popular class exercises involves students mixing menu-driven commands and programming to create interactive virtual reality scenes such as Earth-like environments and whimsical tea parties with fairies in fantasy-scapes.

Students in Stanford’s Virtual People course meet in a virtual environment and learn how to navigate the virtual reality space with their headsets and handheld controllers by having a “teleport” race from one side of a simulated room to the other. (Credit: Tobin Asher/VHIL)

Interacting anew in the metaverse

To further foster an engaging classroom experience, teaching assistants moderate discussions with small student groups. The student avatars stand in a circle, introducing a spatial dimension that’s lost when video conferencing as talking heads on flat computer screens.

Students noticed and appreciated this subtle but powerful change to their discussion format, which helps highlight how design choices have an impact on people using technology.

Teaching Virtual People entirely in VR has proven timely given the intense interest by companies, such as Facebook, in the “metaverse” – shared virtual world environments where, for instance, users immerse themselves into a multi-dimensional digital version of the internet.

“Our class is the metaverse,” said Bailenson. “It is the perfect example of how to build the infrastructure – hardware, software, content and people – and to build a persistent virtual world of avatars and scenes that people actually use.”

Looking ahead, Bailenson plans to continue teaching Virtual People in its natural medium of VR, with the aim of familiarizing his students with a valuable technological tool.

“It is gratifying to see how far virtual reality has come in the early 21st century,” said Bailenson. “I’m sure it will go even farther in the capable hands and minds of Stanford students.”

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Holly Alyssa MacCormick, Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences: [email protected]

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Sharing stories of inclusion in Illinois High School Association sports

Timotheus (T.J.) Gordon, Jr.

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Greetings! My name is Timotheus “T.J.” Gordon, Jr. I am a researcher at the Institute on Disability and Human Development at UIC, a former IHSA student-athlete, and an autistic self-advocate. I am a part of the fifth Illinois Partners in Policymaking fellowship class, where I am learning how to present my advocacy issues to legislators, businesses, and other stakeholders with decision-making powers.

Each year, people in the class create an advocacy project. My advocacy project involves collecting stories of former student-athletes with disabilities who played sports in their high school under the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and either graduated in 2022 or before 2022. The goal is to not only share those stories on a YouTube/Facebook page or a website dedicated to inclusion in IHSA sports, but also use the stories to encourage high schools, coaching staff members, school districts, and other high school sports stakeholders to create resources and measures to increase inclusion of student-athletes with disabilities.

If you are a former high school student-athlete with ANY disability and graduated from an Illinois high school, this is the place to share your experience! Please complete the survey and share your story at https://tinyurl.com/IHSA-Inclusion-Story-Survey by Wednesday, June 5th, 2024, at 11:59 pm CT.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at [email protected] .

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Top Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students
All students gain access to cutting-edge design software, keep a sketchbook, build a digital and physical portfolio that can help them apply to college, and receive a 3D printing pen. Explore Polygence's list of Architecture research and passion project ideas for high school students. 5. Leadership Institute.
16 Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students
Here are 15 Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students: 1. Perimeter Institute International Summer School for Young Physicists (ISSYP) ISSYP is a summer program for current juniors and seniors who are interested in theoretical physics and want to pursue it in college. Students attend Perimeter Institute experts' talks on the ...
31 Research Opportunities + Internships for High Schoolers in 2024
Duration: 10 weeks (June 3 - August 9) Open to New York City high school students who will complete 10th or 11th grade in June 2024, the ARISE program provides access to college-level workshops and lab research across fields like bio, molecular, and chemical engineering, robotics, computer science, and AI.
20 Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students
Program Dates: July 1, 2024 - August 9, 2024. Eligibility: junior high school students. The Simons Summer Research Program offers highly motivated and academically talented high school students the chance to participate in hands-on research in the fields of science, math, or engineering at Stony Brook University.
Indigo Research
Indigo Research is an online research program that opens up research opportunities for high school students, under the guidance of mentors from top universities around the world. ... 1:1 online mentorship program for high school students with PhDs and postgraduates. ... Present your research at our virtual Indigo Academic Conference, ...
10 Best Virtual Research Opportunities for High School Students
Price: £5300. 4. Indigo Research High School Research Program. Indigo Research offers several courses, one of which is for high school students. It pairs students one-on-one with professors from top universities in both the US and the UK. Then, students get the chance to embark on their own research projects.
Research Program for College-focused High Schoolers
Research opportunities for high school students to gain experience through a research program and explore their interest in the summer and beyond. DEADLINE EXTENDED! Due to AP exams, our next deadline is now May 20 11:59 pm PT. Apply today. The Most Flexible Research Program for High School Students Passion Propels You Further. Get ahead on the ...
5 Free Virtual Research Opportunities For High School Students
Virtual research opportunities for high school students are programs that provide hands-on experience and research projects in various STEM fields, such as mathematics, computer science, computational biology, physics, neuroscience, and engineering. These programs are designed to deepen students' understanding of STEM and help them develop the skills needed to succeed in their academic and ...
Top 30 Online High School Research Programs in Summer
Then, they match students with Broad scientists to conduct research projects in a variety of specialties. Length: 6 weeks. Age: Rising 12th graders attending a high school in the greater Boston area. Cost: Free. 7. NIH - Summer Internship Program in Biomedical Research (HS SIP) Possibly online in 2021.
12 Free Online Research Programs for High School Students
Research programs typically involve a great deal of deep reading, data analysis, and critical thinking and you should ensure that this aligns with your learning styles. To help pick the right fit for you, we have detailed 10 free online research programs designed specifically for high school students. 1. Lumiere Research Inclusion Foundation ...
Top Online Research Opportunities for High School Students
These are some of the best online research opportunities for high school students: 1. The Lumiere Research Scholar Program. Academic requirement: Unweighted GPA of 3.3 or higher. Cost: N/A. Duration: 12 weeks. College credit: No.
Horizon
Horizon Academic is a program for high school students interested in doing a college-level academic research together with a professor. By doing academic research with us, a high school student has the opportunity to get into a better university, get a letter of recommendation from a professor, and even get their research published.
7 Research-Focused Virtual Summer Programs For High School Students
Location: Virtual. Dates: 7/1-7/26/2024. Cost: $2,200. Age requirements: Rising 10-12th grade, including graduating seniors. Deadline: 5/20/2024 (application opens 2/26) Overview: Students will be ...
Programs for High School Students
The Stanford Program for Inspiring the Next Generation of Women in Physics (SPINWIP) is a virtual summer outreach program hosted by the Stanford Physics Department, designed to get high-school girls excited about physics. This 3-week program is completely free to participants, and is held through video chat.
Best Online Bootcamps and Online Research Programs for High School Students
Online Courses and pre-college summer programs are great for profile building and improving college admission chances. However, if you are aspiring to stand out really well and aiming for admissions at the top elite and Ivy League colleges, research experience is more than handy.Here are some of the best-in-class online summer programs and online research programs for high school students 2022.
Virtual Math Circle: Research Opportunities for High School Students
About. Math Circle virtual summer camps bring together rising 9th-12th grade math enthusiasts to: learn material not typically taught in a high school curriculum; traverse the complex world of college mathematics; conduct mathematical research with guidance from university faculty and graduate students; present a 45-minute, colloquial-style ...
50+ Research Opportunities for High School Students 2024
5. Provost's Summer Mentorship Program (SMP) Hosting institution: University of Pennsylvania Cost: Free. Format: In-person (Philadelphia, PA) Application deadline: May. Though this college preparatory experience is only available to Philadelphia, PA high school students, its academic rigor, excellent facilities, and no-cost status earned it a spot on our top biology opportunities for high ...
Hybrid High School Summer Research Program
With the support from the U.S. Department of Education, Texas A&M University-Kingsville REAL program is able to offer FREE 3-week 100% Virtual Research Programs to High School Students including the Option to Visit Texas A&M University-Kingsville Campus with Stipends
MIT and Biogen launch virtual learning lab for underrepresented high
The Lemelson-MIT Program (LMIT) announced the launch of Biogen-MIT Biotech in Action: Virtual Summer Lab — a new online learning lab for high school students underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The collaboration pairs Biogen's established Community Lab science learning program with LMIT's 25 years of experience preparing students to be the next ...
UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP) 2024
The UCSB Research Mentorship Program (RMP) is seeking graduate students, postdocs, and researchers for a paid mentorship opportunity this summer. RMP is a highly selective and competitive six-week summer program that engages qualified, talented high school students from all over the world in interdisciplinary, hands-on, university-level research.
The Importance of Research Programs for High School Students
We've continued IRI as a completely remote opportunity for research for high school students and now expanding to young college students. We offer programs that range from just a few weeks to several years and we accommodate [00:09:00] students who are, family incomes, the yearly family income of $3,000 to yearly family incomes of $300,000. ...
Direct-to-Major Admission
Direct-to-major admission gives high school students the chance to apply to the iSchool's Informatics program while filling out their UW application. ... Fellowship backs Ph.D. student's research on tribal health equity. Wednesday, May 8, 2024 ... MSIM Program Chair Virtual Fireside Chat. Zoom / Online. May 16 . 4:30-6:30PM.
10 Online Summer Camps for Middle School Students
10 Free Programs for High School Students in California. NASA's High School Aerospace Scholars - 7 Reasons Why You Should Apply ... Lavner Camps' Virtual Tech and STEM programs provide an excellent opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of technology. ... Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research ...
How Important Is Research For BS/MD Programs?
What Type Of Research Do BS/MD Programs Accept? High school students have access to a wide array of research opportunities. School-related options could include science fair projects or AP Seminar ...
ACS Project SEED Program
Now 56 years old, the program has provided hands-on summer research experiences and webinars to over 13,000 students across the U.S. and its territories. The Project SEED Mission is "to provide sustained STEM research, learning, and growth opportunities for high school students with diverse identities and socioeconomic backgrounds so they can ...
'I dream of investigating virtual reality and making an impact on the
I was researching computer graphics, specifically on cinematography interfaces. I was really proud of it because I completed and led the research from start to finish and was able to submit it to a conference. Where do you dream to be in 10 years? I dream of investigating virtual reality and making an impact on the world.
High School Student Researches Real-Life Marketing
AER is an independent research course inspired by Palo Alto Unified School District's Advanced Authentic Research program. The program pairs students with adult mentors (such as LBUSD staff ...
Exchange Programs
Find U.S. Department of State programs for U.S. and non-U.S. citizens wishing to participate in cultural, educational, or professional exchanges.
New course among the first taught entirely in virtual reality
The Virtual People course is among the first and largest courses to be taught almost entirely in virtual reality, or VR, with several hundred students in the summer and fall courses. These ...
Sharing stories of inclusion in Illinois High School Association sports
Each year, people in the class create an advocacy project. My advocacy project involves collecting stories of former student-athletes with disabilities who played sports in their high school under the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) and either graduated in 2022 or before 2022.