9 Research Programs for High School Students in Kansas
If you’re an ambitious high school student in Kansas aiming for top colleges, this list is for you. Getting into a good college depends on a solid academic profile, and one way to stand out is to attend a research program while in high school. Research programs are a good way to enhance your knowledge, get hands-on experience, and learn from experts in the field.
Research programs often include projects like developing a scientific paper, conducting experiments, or even building an autonomous car. These projects are tangible proof of your skills and can boost your college applications. Whether you’re interested in medicine, engineering, or even agriculture, there is a research program for you.
Here are the top 9 research programs for high school students in Kansas!
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort. Spring (January), Summer (May), Fall (September) and Winter (November).
Duration: Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Location: Remote — you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Eligibility:
You must be currently enrolled in high school
Students must demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (Note: accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
No previous knowledge of your field of interest is required!
Program Dates: Multiple cohorts throughout the year, including summer (June - August), Fall (September - December), Winter (December - February), and Spring (March - June).
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler.
The program pairs high-school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here.
Application deadline: Released at the start of the year
Eligibility: High school students in Wyandotte County, Kansas, and Jackson County, Missouri
Program dates: Summer
Location: The University of Kansas Cancer Centre, Lawrence, KS
Stipend: $2,580
The University of Kansas’s Accelerate Cancer Education (ACE) program offers an opportunity to learn about oncology while exploring careers in biomedical science. During the program, you will be matched with a faculty mentor and work on a research project under their guidance. The project will focus on a specific topic within cancer research and could occur in a lab, clinic, or office setting. At the end of the program, you will present your findings during a poster session. The program generally accepts 10-13 students, making it a selective program.
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research.
Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student.
The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects.
Location: Virtual
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer and Fall cohorts.
Program Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
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.
Application deadline: The deadline is usually in the first week of May
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors
Program dates: June 16 – 28
Location: The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Fee: Free
The Advanced Aerospace Technologies Exploration Experience is a two-week camp for high schoolers interested in aerospace and computer science. Through the program, you will learn about applied physics, Python, and robot operating systems. You will also conduct experiments to learn about open-source autopilot systems like NVIDIA’s Racer RTX, Dronecode, and ArduPilot. The program involves real-world research projects, including working with race cars or drones.
5. University of Kansas’s Learning, Exploration, and Application for Prospective Engineering Students
Application deadline: May 1
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors
Program dates: The program generally offers two camps:
Math and Aerospace Engineering: June 2 – 7
Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence: June 9 – 14
Location: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Fee: Free
The LEAPES program is a residential program that focuses on STEM. There are two camps for you to choose from. The first focuses on math and aerospace engineering, while the second focuses on computer science and artificial intelligence. The former will dive into linear algebra, probability, aircraft dynamics, and autonomy. The latter will cover optimization algorithms, computer code, and neural network models. You can expect lots of hands-on work, such as performing flight tests and building an autonomous car.
Application deadline: April 15
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors
Program dates: June 23 – 28
Location: Bethel College, North Newton, KS
Fee: $50 registration fee. Registration fee waivers are available for those who need it
The Bethel College Summer Science Institute allows you to participate in a research investigation within a specific field. You will engage with two research areas and learn about the various elements involved in the process, including collecting data, testing hypotheses, using statistical software, and conducting lab/fieldwork. You can choose from the following options: nutritional chemistry, exploring nature, psychology of film, probability, protein biochemistry, and molecular genetics methods. After completing the program, you will receive a certificate and one hour of college credit.
Application deadline: May 24
Eligibility: High school sophomores, juniors, and seniors who have a minimum GPA of 3.0 and have completed at least one high school science course
Program dates: June 2 – 7
Location: Newman University, Wichita, KS
Fee: $350. Scholarships are available
The Investigative Summer STEM Program is a research program that focuses on interdisciplinary topics within biology and chemistry. You will work on a research project in small groups, covering all aspects from the literature review to lab experiments and presenting your findings. The program faculty will offer guidance through 1-on-1 meetings and small group discussions. You will earn two hours of college credit on completing this program.
Application deadline: June 17
Eligibility: All high school students
Program dates: June 24 – 28
Location: Wichita State University, Wichita, KS
Stipend: $650
This summer program is a five-session workshop sponsored by NASA. The curriculum focuses on astronomy and aeronautics, covering 5 broad topics. The first four topics are NASA mission overview, NASA tools, Earth science, and CubeSats and operations. Day 5 focuses on research. The workshops run from 9.30 am to noon, and after each session, you will be given an independent task to complete. Only three students are accepted to this program, so keep in mind that admission is very selective.
Application deadline: February 28
Eligibility: All high school students
Program dates: March 14
Location: Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
Fee: None. Participants receive a $500 stipend and recognition as a Borlaug Scholar
The Kansas Youth Institute is a one-day event organized by the World Food Prize Foundation that allows you to learn about global challenges. To participate, you need to submit a research paper on a specific global issue, such as water scarcity, sustainable agriculture, or climate volatility (written under supervision from a teacher or mentor). During the program, you will present your research, receive personalized feedback, and interact with leaders. You will also have the opportunity to be selected as a delegate for the Global Youth Institute, a week-long conference that takes place in Iowa. You can read more about how to participate in the Kansas Youth Institute here.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a PhD student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program where students work 1-1 with a research mentor to develop an independent research paper.