A Harvard professor on what students really need to learn to build machine learning models, and the 12-week program starting this fall.

Scholar Launch's Fall 2026 cohorts run 12 weeks starting in September, built to sit alongside a normal course load instead of competing with it. Students in grades 9 to 12 pair with a Faculty Advisor and a Teaching Assistant to move from an interest to an original research product, whether that's regenerative medicine, portfolio optimization, film scoring, or a topic they bring themselves. Apply by August 23 for two complimentary Teaching Assistant sessions, or by August 31 for one. One program is already waitlist only, so the earlier cohorts are worth a look first.

The 2026 World Cup is more than a tournament. Explore five sports research topics, from psychology to AI, and turn your interest into a real project.

In April, Yale rewrote its mission statement to read simply: "Yale's core mission is to create, disseminate, and preserve knowledge through research and teaching." Gone is the older language about improving the world and educating future leaders. The reaction was loud, but both the praise and the criticism miss the more useful point for students and families deciding where to spend four formative years.

Summer 2026 isn't just for the lab and the data set. Scholar Launch is offering 9 advanced summer research programs for high school students across the social sciences, business, humanities, and arts. Rolling admission is open now, programs start in June, and several are already down to their final spots.

High school research is one of the most powerful tools in a college application, but most students don't know where to start. At Scholar Launch's first panel event in Irvine, a former Duke medical school professor, a former University of Chicago admissions officer, and a working PhD researcher shared what top universities actually look for, how to launch a project from scratch, and why genuine curiosity always beats box-checking. Read on for their best advice.

Discover what college rankings actually measure and why the list rarely changes. Learn why prioritizing student alignment over prestige is the true key to success in college admissions and research mentorship.

Explore 25 psychology research topic ideas across AI, neuroscience, behavioral science, and business. Perfect for high school students starting research.