I want to help in a research lab at a local university as a volunteer or unpaid intern/assistant but I am not sure if it is too late for this summer. How should I format an email to professors at the university? Do you have any personal experiences like this that you can share?
Thank you!
Found this recently when I was planning my summer: https://www.quora.com/As-a-high-school-student-how-can-I-write-an-email-requesting-a-research-internship-from-a-university-professor-Any-sample-emails
Also, I don’t think it’s too late. Even if the professor you’re reaching out to takes a long time to reply I’m sure you can still get a week or so of experience in, even if it’s not a full project. Even if you can’t do it this summer, making yourself known to a professor whose lab or area of study might interest you would be good and might be able to arrange something else, even something long-term if you’re lucky. and if not they would probably consider you above other similar request if you ask them again early next year.
Thank you so much JHblue! 
As an undergraduate student currently involved in research, I would recommend that in the future that you email professors at least a month out from when you plan/hope to start, especially if you would like to be involved in more major projects. Professors are busy, busy people and allowing them enough to time to figure out a plan as well as talk to their graduate students about mentoring you is a good habit of courtesy to get into.
Since you’re a high schooler, it’s very possible that you will be relegated to dishwashing. Regardless, make sure you have some kind of idea of what their research is about before an interview or whatever. Consider preparing some questions to ask and saying why you’re interested in their research. Make sure to discuss what you are looking for from your experience. When you’re in the lab, ALWAYS ask questions if you don’t understand something. If you’re learning a procedure, know WHAT you’re doing and WHY you’re doing it. Are you purifying something, diluting something, growing a cell culture, or running a test, etc? Why does this need to be pure, why is it better to for this to be diluted, what are you using the culture for, etc?
However, also remember that you are new at this and it’s okay if you don’t know a lot of things! Everyone starts out that way, and this could be a great chance to learn new things.
@JHblue I highly doubt a professor would let a high school student work for only a week. A lab’s and professor’s/grad student’s/post doc’s main priority is to get published and keep the grant/fellowship money rolling in. When labs take in high school students and undergrads, they are often using their precious time to train them in the hopes that that high school student or undergrad will produce something useful for them- an investment essentially. No one is going to invest in someone who’s only going to be around for a week.
Thanks @silmaril ! Yeah I should have started sending emails in April/May but I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do during the summer - I only have myself to blame. But at least I know what to do in the future when I become undergraduate student.
Thanks again for your time and help
@silmaril You’re right, I was relating OP’s question more on my personal experience on interning, which was more appropriate for actually being an intern (at a dental practice in my case), which may apply to OP being a volunteer and gaining administrative related working experience in a lab/for a prof but probably not research experience.