<p>I was reading about the Siemens winners, and all of them had some awesome cool project that sounded really complicated. But then I wondered: isn't it suppose to be an individual effort? How can the average high schoolers have gained knowledge about and had access to all this expensive lab equipment?
So then I read on and came across a list of previous participants and their projects. Everyone of them was "mentored" by a professor. What does it mean to be mentored? Is that how they had the opportunity to do the level of research that they did?
Because, when it comes down to it, it seems to come down to how well connected your parents are to well-known professors. I'm sure the winners were all brilliant and driven in their own respect, but I mean, without that mentorship, wouldn't they just be another hardworking student, much like you and me?
How do you get started researching at a lab, or gain mentorship?</p>
<p>I contacted professors at my local university and one of them was willing to take me on last year. A Post Doctorate in the lab was my primary mentor, and she taught me the procedures, equipment, and the project goals and such. After that, I was able to do the experiments on my own and refer to her for guidance. This project became my project for the competitions you refer to.</p>
<p>Some kids do their projects entirely independently - usually in math, but I know students who’ve done stuff on environmental studies, animal studies, etc. independently too. I wouldn’t say that all the kids at ISEF/Siemens/STS are well-connected, because my parents certainly weren’t “well-connected to well-known professors” and I was able to find a wonderful lab that’s not super-famous and I still did well at fairs. Generally yes, high-profile labs churn out high-profile projects, but that’s only because the students working there are very committed and do quality research - in my case, I did most of the work after the initial training, and most of the people I met at fairs did too. They judge you on the quality of your work, not the fame of your lab, if that makes sense.</p>
<p>Other students were involved in research programs that found positions for them, so that’s an option too, though for my friends and me, we found positions locally by contacting professors or seeing if our teachers knew anyone. It sounds daunting at first, but all it takes is a little drive, asking around, and hopefully with a bit of luck, you’ll find a lab where people are willing to teach you and support your research ambitions. You learn a lot from doing research - not just science-wise, but about life in general too from the people you work with - so good luck!</p>
<p>a lot of times it comes down to persistently emailing different professors after professors until you find someone willing to take you onbut that is most definitely not all it comes down to. scientific research is so different from other activities a high schooler might pursue, and to be successful, even with someone who can give you the right research context it takes loads of creativity and a certain mindset that is not just what “another hardworking student” might have. just because your mentor can teach you fourier analysis, for example, doesn’t mean you can have the imagination and insight to apply it to a certain research problem. of course, the depth of how much your mentor can influence you depends on the field. like mentioned above, no matter how good your mentor is it’s almost impossible to “teach” the perspective of how to unravel mathematical mysteries to a high school student quickly, unless they already have some inclination or tons of practice. on the other hand, in biology it might be easier to do so, as lab research sometimes has a lot of procedural meticulousness that a high schooler could get the hang of.</p>
<p>in any case, just getting a good mentor guarantees a successful project just as much as getting into harvard guarantees a successful lifelong career. yeah, maybe parental connections do help, but they can’t replace the work and creativity that comes next (again with the college admissions analogy). every single person has their own unique set of advantages, and that’s just life.</p>
<p>like mentioned above, my friends got theirs by just calling and emailing tons of people XD I did research in applied math independently, designing and coding computer simulations at home.</p>
<p>I worked at a local research university, but it’s one of the best areas for compsci/simulation/training in the country. It’s not a matter of having well-connected parents (but that could definitely help); instead, just email professors, walk in during office hours, put a ton of time into getting your name out there.</p>
<p>Here’s my advice though: the first “learning stage” of a project usually doesn’t involve complicated materials or a lot of money. Do the first year of research (or first few months, depending on your timeline) alone as much as you can. Then, write a research paper, give it to professors, and impress them with your dedication and knowledge. I guarantee you’ll find a lab willing to help you out at that point.</p>
<p>While you can do research without a lab in some math areas, many “physical” projects will require chemicals or equipment that you’ll only find in a lab. Moreover, it’s a lot harder to publish your research if you don’t have a lab and mentors to list as coauthors.</p>
<p>Here’s how my mentorship worked: I came in with an idea, worked on it, did the literature review, and met with my mentor for 30 min a week to just discuss interesting problems. I wrote the experimental design, conducted and analyzed the data on my own, and got feedback whenever possible. That’s how almost everyone I know who did science fair worked, and that’s how real research works. It’s worked out really well for me so far (3 published papers, STS semi, 2nd place ISEF) thanks to having a mentor willing to give me feedback, lab space, and time. Good luck!</p>