<p>I really want to intern at a laboratory or a tech company (I live in close proximity to Silicon Valley), but none that I can find have school-year programs (or, in the tech companies' case, any programs) for high-school students. I don't really care about getting paid; it's more the experience. </p>
<p>I know that Sandia Laboratories in Livermore has opportunities for high school students, but you have to be 16 in order to apply.</p>
<p>Also, if anybody has asked a professor whether they can do research with them, how does that work? How can I be successful in asking? (I live near famous universities, so they probably get a lot of people asking whether they can help with research). I'm mainly interested in engineering (more on the chemical engineering and environmental engineering sides) and CS.</p>
<p>I know that Lockheed Martin around Stanford has school-year internships for students. I believe that you have to be either a junior or a senior to intern, and it’s quite a significant commitment (something like 40 hours per week during the summer and 15 per week during the school year). </p>
<p>Similarly, since you live in Silicon Valley, you could just email a Stanford professor and see if you could intern in whatever research facility they’re working in. A few of my close friends did that this summer, and most of them managed to get various internships. Just email the professor asking if you can work as an intern in whatever their field is. Make sure you demonstrate good knowledge of whatever it is that’s being researched, and plenty of professors will be happy to have you, even if you’ll spend a few weeks washing beakers and filling out spreadsheets before you get to do anything serious. </p>