7 Scientific Research Opportunities for High School Students
Participating in scientific research programs during high school can enhance your academic profile and provide invaluable hands-on experience. Here are several reputable programs (with links) offering opportunities to do scientific research while you’re still in high school:
Summer Science Program (SSP)
SSP offers immersive research experiences in astrophysics, biochemistry, and genomics across multiple campuses, including the University of Colorado Boulder and Purdue University. More Information Here: https://summerscience.org/
Lumiere Research Scholar Program
Founded by researchers from Harvard and Oxford, this remote program pairs high school students with PhD mentors to work one-on-one on independent research projects across various disciplines. More Information Here: https://www.lumiere-education.com/
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program (SIMR)
SIMR is an 8-week program that allows high school students to conduct biomedical research under the mentorship of Stanford faculty, focusing on areas like cancer biology, immunology, and neuroscience. More Information Here: https://simr.stanford.edu/
Pioneer Research Program
Pioneer Academics offers a research program for high-achieving high school students seeking research opportunities in STEM, social sciences, and humanities. It is the only accredited online research program that grants college credits for contributing to a real-world research project. More information Here: https://pioneeracademics.com/
Horizon Academic Research Program
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, psychology, and more. More Information Here: https://www.horizoninspires.com/
Project SEED
Initiated by the American Chemical Society (ACS), Project SEED provides economically disadvantaged high school students with hands-on research opportunities in chemistry-related fields. More Information: https://www.acs.org/education/students/highschool/seed.html
Pennsylvania Governor's School for the Sciences (PGSS)
Hosted by Carnegie Mellon University, PGSS is a five-week summer program for Pennsylvania high school students, offering rigorous courses in biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer science. More Information Here: https://sciences.pa-gov-schools.org/
These programs provide platforms for high school students to engage in scientific research, develop critical thinking skills, and gain exposure to potential STEM careers. Be sure to review each program's eligibility criteria, application deadlines, and specific focus areas to find the best fit for your interests and goals.
Contact Us if you’d like more ideas to enhance your experiences and knowledge-base in high school.