16 Summer Research Programs for Last Minute Applicants

For high school students still hoping to join a summer research program, we’re now past the regular application deadline, and only very few spots remain across 16 of our most popular group programs. It’s officially last call for students looking to earn letters of recommendation, dive into college-level research, and enhance their academic profiles ahead of the 2025–2026 school year.

STEM Research Programs

Cybersecurity Vulnerability Assessments: Safeguarding Digital Assets

Faculty Advisor: Research Fellow, Microsoft; Former Visiting Associate Professor, Stanford University

This research program equips students with a hands-on education in vulnerability assessment, a critical cybersecurity practice for organizations aiming to safeguard their digital assets against potential threats. Participants will learn how to identify, assess, prioritize, and mitigate vulnerabilities in applications, APIs, and cloud/network infrastructure.

Human-Machine Teaming: Applications, Issues, and Case Studies

Faculty Advisor: Adjunct Faculty, Carnegie Mellon School of Computer Science

Students will explore human-machine teaming, or how machines can complement people, scale human performance and expertise, and reduce risk. This innovative research program will lay a foundation for critical, data-oriented thinking and problem-solving in a technologically advancing world.

Exoplanets: Unveiling Alien Worlds and The Quest for a Second Earth

Faculty Advisor: Independent researcher; Post-doctoral researcher, UCLA and CSUN; Ph.D., Astronomy and Astrophysics, Harvard

This research program introduces students to the diversity of celestial bodies, with a particular emphasis on exoplanets. More specifically, participants will uncover the universe’s mysteries by discovering what exoplanets are, learning about the innovative techniques astronomers use to detect them, and questioning whether there’s intelligent life beyond Earth.

Understanding Gravitational Waves with the 2017 Nobel Prize-winning Experiment, LIGO

Faculty Advisor: AI Software Engineering Manager, Carnegie Learning; Researcher, Carnegie Mellon University

Participants of this research program will discover the fundamentals of gravitational wave theory, unraveling the intricate mechanisms that govern their propagation through space-time. By working with data from the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) experiment, students will be at the forefront of gravitational wave research and stand out as competitive scholars among their peers.

Theoretical & Technical Foundations of Sports Analytics through Basketball

Faculty Advisor: Lecturer, School of Information, University of Michigan

This research program explores the theoretical foundations of sports analytics, with basketball as the focal point for tracing its evolution and profound impact on sports dynamics. Students will examine the inherent strengths and limitations of contemporary sports analytics paradigms by exploring authentic datasets and fundamental analytics methodologies utilized in player assessment and on-court decision-making scenarios.

The Management of Medical Emergencies in Zero Gravity and for Long-Term Space Missions

Faculty Advisor: Resident Physician, Department of Surgery, Mayo Clinic; MD, Baylor College of Medicine

This is a deep dive into the intersection of space exploration and healthcare that offers a comprehensive understanding of the unique challenges and medical considerations involved in providing healthcare during space missions. Students will explore the potential medical issues that may arise during extended missions and how to address them using innovative and practical medical techniques.

Designing Safer Vehicles to Achieve Vision Zero in the Era of Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric (CASE) Vehicles

Faculty Advisor: Principal Scientist in Research and Development at a leading automobile manufacturer; Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Center for Applied Biomechanics (CAB) in University of Virginia

This cohort is based on the United Nations’ Vision Zero initiative. This a global movement to end traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries by taking a systemic approach to road safety. By performing in-depth research and analyses of crash data, developing design specifications, and proposing design features to mitigate certain types of injuries, students of this research program will learn the fundamentals of safety tech and designing safe vehicles.

Surviving Change: Ecology and Evolution under Climate Change

Faculty Advisor: Lecturer, Biology, Stanford University

Students of “Surviving Change” will explore how climate change reshapes ecological interactions and evolutionary trajectories across species and ecosystems. Through guided discussions and exploratory data analysis, program participants will investigate topics such as species range shifts, phenological mismatches, adaptive genetic responses, and ecosystem destabilization as they analyze case studies and evaluate mitigation strategies.

Humanities and Social Science Research Programs

Poverty Alleviation Programs, Stakeholders, Interventions, and Key Success Factors

Faculty Advisor: Social Policy Researcher; Master of Public Administration, Cornell University

Students interested in public health can learn a lot from this dynamic research program, which delves into the strategies and interventions that empower individuals and families to overcome poverty and build sustainable futures. They’ll study everything from grassroots initiatives to transformative global programs to learn how to define the success of a poverty alleviation program, how education and healthcare transform lives, and how cross-sector partnerships pave the way for lasting impact.

Analyzing Humanitarian Interventions: A Toolkit for Understanding Humanitarian Action in the Past, Present, and Future

Faculty Advisor: Lecturer, International and Comparative Studies, University of Michigan

This program introduces students to the basic principles and theories that inform humanitarian interventions. We will challenge students to consider the ethical, political, and practical issues associated with saving lives and preserving the dignity of people affected by crisis and conflict.

Chivalry, Civility, and Power: An Interdisciplinary Exploration of Honor in the Modern World through History and Literature

Faculty Advisor: Lecturer in English, Yale University

Students will explore the implicit power structures that underpin chivalry, investigating their ongoing appeal and critiquing their role in the marginalization of certain peoples. We analyze the ramifications of chivalry through various disciplines, including history, literature, and art.

From Plato to Marx: Theory of Education Throughout Time

Faculty Advisor: Ph.D. Researcher, Harvard University

Students of this research program will explore how education theorists, over time, have balanced the obligations that a person has towards themselves, their family, their state, and sometimes even their religion. Participants will inform their views by studying classic sociologists–Karl Marx, Émile Durkheim, Max Weber–ancient philosophers–Confucius and Plato–medieval philosophers–Aquinas and Averroes–and early modern thinkers like Rousseau and Condorcet.

Unlocking History's Secrets: A Journey of Discovery Through Personal Narratives and Historical Events

Faculty Advisor: Ph.D. candidate, Princeton University

This program offers high school students a deep dive into the theory and practice of history research, specifically focusing on how larger structural forces shape individual people's lives. Students will study classic works and analyze historical evidence to learn how different cultural and material forces shape human action. They’ll also further develop critical reading and analysis skills by uncovering the connection between historical evidence and argument.

Music Production in Film and Television: The Art and Technology of Creating Emotional Impact

Faculty Advisor: Emmy Award Winner; New York-based Composer and Producer

Students in this research program will view several segments from existing films to analyze and describe their musical content and its characteristics. They'll also learn how different melodies, harmonies, rhythms, and sound textures can be synchronized with several film segments.

Strange Worlds and Rubble: Art and the Second World War in Britain and America

Faculty Advisor: Lecturer, Stanford University

Ideal for students interested in art history, architecture, history, cultural studies, literature and critical theory, photography, and visual arts, this research program teaches students how the art that emerged from the destruction of World War Two reshaped society. Program participants will analyze the work of 10 different artists and architects and consider how their work countered triumphalist narratives of postwar prosperity, instead exposing a fragmentary world torn asunder by violence.

Is that Legal? Researching Legal Interpretations From the Perspective of a Judge

Faculty Advisor: Former University of Michigan Professor

Students will be encouraged to think like a judge as they explore the tools of statutory interpretation that legal experts consult when analyzing legal issues. Program participants will analyze textual canons of interpretation and apply those principles to hypothetical situations as they consider the text, history, and purpose of certain laws.

The clock is ticking, and the available spots in these research programs won’t stay open for long. Apply for a Scholar Launch cohort today.