11 Best Research Mentorship Programs for High School Students
If you are a high school student interested in conducting research in any tech field, chances are that you are looking for guided research programs in your area that will be a valuable addition to your application.
In this post, we have curated a list of 20 research programs for high school students that will enable you to experience university-level research and gain guidance from professionals in the field. Note that some programs are internships, but they will also allow you to conduct research in your field!
1. Lumiere Research Scholar Program - Tech Track
Cost:
Lumiere Individual Research Program – $2,800
Lumiere Premium Research and Publication Program – $4,800
Lumiere Research Fellowship – $8,400
Location: Virtual
Application Deadline: Rolling, Cohort based. Applications for the summer cohort are open till May 12, 2024. You can apply here!
Program Dates: Upcoming start date - June 3, 2024
Eligibility: High school students
Founded by Harvard and Oxford PhDs, Lumiere is a selective research program for high school students, where students work one-to-one with a PhD mentor to develop an independent research paper. The program does give you the flexibility to choose your topic across an array of disciplines such as computer science, AI/ML, data science, robotics and more!
Due to its one-to-one nature, you can expect to not only learn the most recent developments of various tech industries but also expand your technological skillset, regardless of what level it is at. If you’re interested in doing interdisciplinary research, this would be a good option!
2. Veritas AI’s Fellowship with Publication & Showcase
Cost: $4900 for the AI Fellowship with Publication & Showcase Program
Location: Remote - you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Application Deadline: Upcoming summer cohort - May 19, 2024. You can apply here!
Program Dates: Summer cohort - June 3, 2024
Eligibility: You must be a high school student with some python experience or have complete the Veritas AI Scholars Program
Veritas AI is founded and run by Harvard graduate students and our programs are geared towards high school students who want to build individual projects from scratch. Through the AI Fellowship program, you work 1-1 with PhD mentors from top universities over 12-15 weeks.
You can pick any field you are interested in that intersects with AI, ML, data science, or computer science to create a unique project (research paper, model/software, app, presentation) that you can submit to high school journals for publication or use on college applications. In the past students have worked on projects to predict breast cancer from genes, make stock market predictions, classify genres of music based on the waveform, classify asteroids, and more! Here are some more projects students have worked on in the past!
3. Horizon Academic Research Program
Location: Virtual
Application Date: May 21, 2024 for the summer cohort, and September 25, 2024 for the fall cohort
Program Dates:
Summer seminar - June 24, 2024 - September 2, 2024
Fall seminar - October 23, 2024 - February 19, 2025
Lab dates are flexible, but you must apply 4 weeks in advance.
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders! Only a couple of tracks require formal prerequisites, more details of which can be found here.
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! It is one of the very few research programs for high school students that offers a choice between quantitative and qualitative research!
Once you select a particular subject track and type of research you’ll be paired with a professor or Ph.D. scholar (from a top university) who will mentor you throughout your research journey. You’ll work to create a 20-page, university-level research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
This program is a solid opportunity for you to pursue a research program in highly specialized fields, under the guidance of a top scholar. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student, as well as detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects and on college applications. Apply here!
4. MIT’s Research Science Institute
Cost: No Cost
Location: MIT Campus, Cambridge MA
Application Deadline (based on previous year’s dates):
January 15th, 2024 (U.S. Citizens)
March 15th, 2024 (International Students)
Program Dates: June 25th to August 5th, 2024 (based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
Students who are rising seniors (you will have to apply in the middle of your junior year). High school seniors are not eligible to apply.
It is recommended that PSAT Math Scores be at least 740 (or higher) and Evidence-Based Reading/ Writing Scores be 700 (or higher). ACT math scores should be at least 33, and verbal scores should be at least 34. However, you can offset lower scores through recommendations, high school grades, and science activities.
Note. There are different application processes for U.S. Citizens/Permanent Residents and International Applicants. You can look here for specific details!
The Research Science Institute (RSI) is a research-based summer program sponsored by the Center for Excellence in Education (CEE) and hosted by MIT every summer. RSI invites 80 highly talented high school juniors from all over the world to attend this program. Throughout the 6-week, fully-funded program, you can conduct independent research in computer science (or other STEM subjects) and take college-level coursework. However, RSI is an extremely selective program, with an acceptance rate of under 5%.
Within the first week, you will have the opportunity to experience extensive STEM Classes by accomplished faculty. However, the main section of RSI is the 5-week research internship, where you can choose to pursue projects in computer science under the mentorship of experienced scientists and researchers. The program culminates with delivering your research in conference-stye oral and written reports.
If you are interested in learning about the types of research conducted by RSI students, you can look at the projects from 2022 here! An example for robotics enthusiasts is Michelle Hua’s 3D Acoustic Simulation and Optimization for Transcranial Focused Ultrasound Delivered with Stereotactic Robotics.
Here is everything you need to know about RSI!
5. Anson L.Clark Scholars Program
Cost: No Cost
Location: Texas Tech University
Application Deadline: February 13 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program Dates: 6 weeks, June 18 - August 3 (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility:
Applicants must be at least 17 years of age by the program start date and should graduate in 2023 or 2024 (U.S. and International)
The Anson L. Clark Scholars Program was established in 1963 in honor of Anson L. Clark, a former Texas A&M student and World War II veteran who proceeded to create a successful business career. This 7-week comprehensive research program will allow you to gain hands-on research under the mentorship of Texas Tech faculty. Apart from one-on-one research with faculty, you can participate in weekly seminars, discussions, and field visits!
One of the research areas available for students is the computer science track. Scholars from the 2022 cohort, like Akaash Kolluri, have conducted research in predicting GPU energy consumption using machine learning algorithms. You can view past projects from other scholars here!
The Clark Scholars program is one of the most prestigious and selective programs, with an acceptance rate of less than 3% and only 12 students in each cohort. Therefore, having the title of an Anson L. Clark Scholar will be a valuable add-on to any college application. An additional benefit is the $750 tax-free stipend that is provided!
You can find a detailed guide on the program here!
6. The University of Chicago’s Data Science Institute Summer Lab
Cost: No cost; stipend provided ($6,000)
Location: University of Chicago Campus, IL
Application Deadline: While the application deadline has not been specified, you can check their website for updates.
Program Dates: June 12th - August 18th, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
Open to all high school students.
Familiarity with at least one programming language and relevant coursework (e.g., computer science, statistics, and math) is preferred.
The DSI Summer Lab by the University of Chicago is a 10-week, paid summer research opportunity for high school and undergraduate students that focuses on applied, interdisciplinary data science research.
In this program, you will be paired with a data science mentor in various domains, including - data science, computer science, climate and energy policy, and more! Your research mentor will engage and hone your skills in research methodologies, practices, and teamwork. You will develop an understanding of fundamental data science methodologies and be given specialized training within the application areas.
The program culminates with a presentation of your final videos - a video created by you that outlines your research findings throughout the summer. These videos will be presented in a professional conference format where you can interact with your peers and field questions on their projects and vice versa!
Note: International students are welcome to apply but are responsible for gaining authorization to work in the U.S. and providing all the necessary documentation to earn their stipend.
7. UCSDs and SDSCs Annual Research Experience for High School Students (REHS)
Cost:
Program with research project - $1,500
Program without research project - Free.
Location: On Campus (UC San Diego, California) & Virtual
Application Deadline: March 15, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s deadline)
Program Dates: June 19 - August 11, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s deadline)
Eligibility:
Rising 10th grader
Note. The program is focused on students from San Diego county but if you have summer housing accommodations, your application will be accepted.
UC San Diego and the San Diego Supercomputer Center collaborate on this 8-week research program. Students work closely with mentors on a research project of their choice (including computer science & AI!) where they learn how to formulate and test hypotheses, conduct computational experiments, and derive conclusions from those experiments. This program offers an excellent opportunity for students to apply their computer science knowledge to real-world projects and gain practical experience in the field.
Since the program is an 8-week research opportunity, you should consider applying if you wish to work on a research project on a crisp timeline, under mentorship of UC San Diego faculty. Note that this program does serve as an advantage to students who aren’t fully comfortable with conducting research on their own, or need some guidance on how to approach research. As part of the program, you will be expected to engage in software instruction, practical readings and discussions with your mentor and your graduate student team members.
Cost: No cost.
Location: New York University Campus, NY (Specific Area depends on subject area/ lab choice)
Application Deadline: March 5th (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program Dates: June 28th - August 11th (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility:
Rising juniors and rising seniors.
Must be based in New York City.
ARISE at NYU is a free seven-week summer program for 10th and 11th graders residing in New York City. Throughout the program, you will work under the guidance of NYU’s top research faculty to gain hands-on research experience in disciplines such as computer science, machine learning, robotics, and more!
The program has two components: your first 2 weeks are spent in workshops, while the latter 5 weeks are spent in the lab alongside your mentor. Through ARISE, you can train in college-level research, professional development, and colloquium and contribute substantially to their laboratories. You can view the subject areas for 2023 over here!
If you are interested in applying to ARISE, check out this complete guide to the program!
Cost: No Cost
Location: Remote
Application Deadline: February (tentatively, based on previous years)
Program Dates: June - December (tentatively, based on previous years)
Eligibility:
All high school juniors who are U.S. Citizens or permanent residents.
Strong academic record.While they have not specified a cutoff, you should expect PSAT math scores to be at least 740 (or higher) and evidence-based reading/ writing scores to be 700 (or higher). ACT math scores should be at least 33, and verbal scores should be at least 34.
Passion for science, technology, engineering, and math - which is demonstrated through extracurricular activities, essays, and letters of recommendation.
MITES Semester is a program by MIT and is a 6-month hybrid STEM program where you can deep dive into science and engineering disciplines. In this program, you will choose one project-based course, followed by a supplemental core course, which can either be in computer science, calculus, physics, science writing, or communication.
Through this program, you can delve into interdisciplinary subjects that involve computer science. For instance, past projects have included computational biology, embedded systems, machine learning, robotics, thermodynamics, climate change, and more.
At the end of the MITES program, you will receive a written evaluation from your instructor outlining your strengths and growth areas and highlighting your contributions to the class. This is a valuable supplement for any college application!
Note: MIT strongly encourages students from underrepresented and low socioeconomic backgrounds to apply.
Here is everything you need to know about applying to the MITES Semester program!
10. Northeastern University’s Young Scholars Program
Cost: No cost
Location: Northeastern University, Boston
Application Deadline: Not specified, but applications open January 2024!
Program Dates: June 26, 2024 - August 3, 2024 (tentatively, based on previous year’s dates)
Eligibility:
Students must be permanent Massachusetts residents (live and go to school in MA throughout the year).
Must enter 12th grade in the fall (current juniors when applying).
Must be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident.
This program is a unique opportunity for you to work with research laboratories within Northeastern’s Colleges of Engineering, Science and Health Sciences, where you will assist a professor with hands-on research.
One example of a possible research project is Marvin Onabajo from the 2023 cohort, where he looked at the ‘Programmable Signal Acquisition and Calibration of Temperature Sensors for Detection of Power Dissipation on Chips’. You can look at other 2023 presentations here!
Apart from your research, you will attend a seminar series ‘Introduction to Engineering’, which covers topics in robotics, chemical analysis, microwave materials and more. You will also get field trips and career counseling from the Department of Cooperative Education.
11. Stony Brook University’s Computer Science and Informatics Summer Research Experience Program (CSIRE)
Cost: $2,800. Financial aid is available.
Location: Stony Brook University, New York and virtual. There is no residential option; you must commute to and from Stony Brook University if you select the in-person program.
Application Deadline: To be announced
Program Dates: June-August (tentatively, based on previous years dates)
Eligibility: Applicants must be high school students studying and residing in the United States.
The intensive six-week-long CSIRE program at Stony Brook University is designed to provide high school students with research experience in computer science and informatics.
Students work in a lab mentored by a faculty or a Ph.D. student on a hands-on research project in various computer science and informatics areas, such as artificial intelligence, data science, cybersecurity, software engineering, and human-computer interaction.
In addition to this research experience, CSIRE allows you to contribute to ongoing research at the university, offers a combination of research seminars, career seminars, networking opportunities, on-campus lab tours, and allows students to present their research findings at conferences or symposiums at the conclusion of the program.
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