The Best High School Research Jobs in the Research Triangle
Whether a particular career piques your interest or you’re just curious, high school students who are determined to discover the answers to a plethora of questions can consider applying for a research job! Encompassing within and outside of STEM fields, we’ll highlight the benefits of participating in research jobs for high school students and how you can find one for yourself!
Why Research Jobs for High School Students?
Engaging in research jobs as a high school student exposes you to a reality unrestricted by grades and examinations. Research jobs serve as another level of dynamic, hands-on experiences, allowing students to collaborate with others, similar to a typical occupation. Research jobs, while they may require more analytical thinking than the everyday Starbucks barista (although they come in handy), students can build a soft skill set for the college and workspaces, such as communication and effective presentations.
Additionally, on the topic of higher education, research jobs for high school students can enhance a competitive portfolio, especially in a medical avenue. If admissions officers can recognize your ability to operate in a laboratory setting, they can subsequently imply additional attributes and passions that complement your background!
Where to Find a High School Research Job?
There will not always be the perfect opportunity to stare you in the face. Sometimes, you have to do a little digging to find the treasure. During your search, be sure to look in the following places:
LOCALLY
On occasion, it can be best to start small. Depending on the area (especially in institution-heavy grounds), students can find small hospitals and other companies willing to welcome high school students and provide high school research job experience, maybe even for free!
SUMMER CAMPS AND COLLEGE PROGRAMS
High school research jobs are potent supplements to your college applications—which is why they tend to become more competitive. There are numerous colleges that release applications for programs in laboratories or even mentorship from institution alumni and current students, allowing students to walk away with skills to jumpstart and document their own future research. Every now and then, students may encounter a program that requests a fee to not only apply but to accept a position in the program. Thus, it is imperative to explore the options in your environment first.
CONDUCTING YOUR OWN RESEARCH
Guidance is supportive, but not always necessary. With the appropriate resources, you can begin the research endeavor yourself: finding a question through various publications and getting to work! Forbes outlines this process in more detail in this article!
Inspirit AI offers a 1:1 research mentorship program for high school students who are interested in pursuing their own research. Learn more here.
How to Cold Email Professors for a High School Research Job
To obtain one-on-one interaction, you can email professors and researchers directly, bypassing any application-required program and aiding in something new. Typically, this option requires cold emailing, which we’ll cover in more detail.
“Cold emails,” in essence, are emails sent to individuals sent to a target audience without prior contact. Cold emailing is unique, in that it is not always successful. Nevertheless, there are a few tips students can take into consideration to craft the most effective cold email attempt.
1: INTRODUCTION
The introduction is a very vital portion of the email. Within it, you can be the most personable. Describe some of your background, including academically, and explain why you are interested in conducting work with the particular individual. Every section of your email should reinforce why you are interested and qualified for any tasks or internship you seek to apply for—especially because the opportunity did not necessarily exist on its own.
2: FACT-CHECK: WHY PROFESSOR OR DR. X?
Cold emails do not have to be entirely cold. To demonstrate your genuine interest in a researcher’s work, view some of their previous publications and highlight your favorite sections or approaches.
3: HELLO. THANK YOU.
Just as you may dread reading that 40-page history textbook chapter, individuals immersed in the world of discovery (and life altogether) have little time to invest in reading every email that comes their way. Be direct and concise with your language. Know which words will present your point quickly and appropriately.
4: HIGHLIGHT YOUR STRENGTHS
Answer the question, “How and why could I, as a high school student, contribute to the outcomes of your research?” This is where a resume, transcript, or description of prior interest comes into play.
5: BE OPEN
If a professor desires to get in touch with you to learn more about your qualifications, indicate in your initial email that you are more than willing to provide additional information to provide the best picture of yourself possible.
6: BE PERSISTENT
There is a very slight chance that the recipient may not respond, but don’t lose hope! Try sending multiple emails to various professors. Who knows, you may receive an unexpected response.
Examples of Research Jobs for High School Students in North Carolina
Luckily, for any students living in North Carolina (outside of the excruciating humidity), the state is home to the famous “Research Triangle Park,” a region connecting Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, large cities known for their research institutions (UNC, Duke, and North Carolina State). These locations are breeding grounds for potential research jobs for high school students! A few examples are to follow.
INSPIRIT AI: AI + X ONE-ON-ONE RESEARCH
Inspirit AI offers a high school research job from the comfort of your home. The AI + X Individual Research Project partners returning Inspirit students with research mentors to evaluate datasets pose a question to experiment with, and utilize machine learning models to forge a path to an answer. By the end of the program, students will have crafted a research proposal and final article, and leave with additional advice on how to enhance or receive more exposure to their work.
High school research programs such as these require Python programming experience. If this doesn’t sound like you just yet, consider applying for Inspirit’s AI Scholar Online Programs.
PROJECT SEED
The American Chemical Society (ACS) provides economically disadvantaged students in North Carolina with the opportunity to conduct research in various chemistry and biochemistry avenues via the mentorship and shadowing of graduate students. Through experimentation, the graduates instruct the high school students on how to enhance their scientific communication by crafting research papers and preparing oral presentations. They also received chances to meet with Project SEED alumni, offering a little advice along the way.
At the end of the eight to ten weeks, the students will gather together, with their mentors, friends, and family members to demonstrate their recent experiences in a short symposium.
You can visit the following website for application information (the 22-23 cycle has passed) and previous work completed by Project SEED 2022 alumni.
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL: RURAL MEDICINE SUMMER ACADEMY
Unlike some of the following programs, the Rural Medicine Summer Academy is similar to a medical immersive program. Instead of solely shadowing researchers and graduate students through a high school research job, rising high school seniors receive a glimpse of mentorship, CPR certification, leadership, and many more fields. Nevertheless, the Academy is a great avenue to access future research jobs through networking with staff and the like.
Selected applications attend the Academy free of charge! The application period has passed for the 2023 season, but you can explore more information about next year’s process here.
NORTH CAROLINA AGRICULTURAL AND TECHNICAL STATE UNIVERSITY: RESEARCH APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM (RAP)
At A&T, the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences encourages rising juniors and seniors to participate in a two-week, hands-on residential high school research program in Greensboro! Under the guidance of research scientists, students will conduct their own research projects within the food, agricultural, and environmental sciences; however, some fields expand to even child development! RAP is fully funded upon acceptance, but students must submit a $25.00 application fee.
To be eligible for this research job / program for high school students, the College requires a few recommendations, a career choice essay, a high school transcript, and more supplements listed here. The 2023 application period has passed, but stay on the lookout for next summer!
WAKEMED, DUKE UNIVERSITY, UNC REX: HOSPITAL VOLUNTEERING
The best work experience a student may ever receive prior to their undergraduate education is directly in the field. Hospitals, such as the ones listed in this heading, offer positions for high school students to contribute to the function of the medical arenas and shadow willing doctors! UNC-Chapel Hill provides more resources to access medical research jobs for high school students. The Research Triangle is not the only area to find hospitals. Explore your city and contact local hospitals to verify if they offer applications for similar research and shadowing outlets.
The Future of Research Jobs for High School Students
College applications seem to become more competitive by the year, and sometimes, your research efforts may not succeed initially. However, simply taking the risk is commendable in itself. When looking for such research jobs as a high school student, work with a “growth mindset.” Every action you take should manifest itself as a lesson learned, even if it doesn’t appear so at first glance.
These jobs can spark connections with fellow students or mentors, and such networking relationships may lead to a real job in the future. There is so much potential to be found within such opportunities, and as a high school student, with persistence, you will arrive at a place where you can truly spark change, irrespective of the university!
About Inspirit AI
AI Scholars Live Online is a 10 session (25-hour) program that exposes high school students to fundamental AI concepts and guides them to build a socially impactful project. Taught by our team of graduate students from Stanford, MIT, and more, students receive a personalized learning experience in small groups with a student-teacher ratio of 5:1.
