So I’m definitely interested in going into some sort of science direction, most likely in a research/academic setting. I’m really interested into neuroscience and the scientific study of the brain, so I figure that a great way to learn more about something that I’m super interested in and curious about while simultaneously getting great college experience over the summer will be a great idea. The only issue is… there are no lab positions for high school students that currently exist anywhere in my area. I live near a city with a few pretty good universities with neuroscience programs. I contacted one head researcher at a laboratory of one of these universities about the possibility of being an unpaid volunteer, but she told me that she wasn’t able to because her lab didn’t have the clearances to work with minors. However, now I’m unsure if all of the research facilities at the university aren’t able to work with minors… I’m not sure who to contact or how to figure this out. was wondering if anyone had any ideas/ any experience with securing a lab position (unpaid, volunteer, I’m fine doing mostly boring stuff) ?
It’s pretty tough to snag these positions. Most research openings are going to students who attend those universities. My advice would be to identify and email as many principal investigators that you can and offer to do just about anything for them. You may send out 30 emails and get one response. That’s just the nature of it.
Having a “minor” working with chemicals is definitely an added liability for a laboratory. You may consider research roles in areas like clinical trials or psychology where you’d kinda function as a research assistant/gopher rather than work in a laboratory.