Hi! I was a prior student in the Pioneer Academics Research Program during the summer of 2018, and I conducted research in neuroscience.
The Pioneer Academics Research Program is a global online research program that matches willing high school students with a full-time college professor who will serve in a mentor capacity and assist you in your research, and eventually, as you write your 15+ page paper. Pioneer is currently the only accredited online research program for high school students. There are opportunities to choose between a less time intensive (Spring through Summer) and more time intensive term (Summer). I on average spent about 10 hours a week working on my research paper during the summer, but your experience in Pioneer is ultimately up to how much time you put in!
Even if you have zero research experience or have never done any research before, Pioneer makes it super easy to start. There is an extensive support system built into the program, besides your fellow classmates and Pioneer professor, you also have the support of a writing center, a program coordinator, and many more. There are even research and technical support Zoom meetings that help students minimize technical difficulties when online, and several meetings walking you through how to write a research paper-- everything from how to formulate a strong thesis to how to pick reliable sources. Overall, everyone is looking to help you succeed through the program.
Be aware that as an online research program, Pioneer requires you to conduct research a little differently than some may envision. Being an online program, you cannot conduct research in a wet lab or in the field. The way I conducted my research was by poring over the data of many different research studies and drawing my own conclusions from there. I know with other topics, there are possibilities of using online simulations to collect data. I believe some other students may have conducted physical experimentation on their own time. Either way, there are many avenues to conduct research within the Pioneer program while still remaining online.
Besides being able to produce work at the undergraduate level, one of the most rewarding parts of Pioneer for me was forging a relationship with my Pioneer professor, who I still keep in contact with to this day. My Pioneer professor helped me tremendously with my research paper. My topic was in neuroscience, and although I had no experience in neuroscience (my high school did not offer any classes), my Pioneer professor took his time to use the first 5 group sessions as course instruction time into the basics of neuroscience, and explained thoroughly some concepts/terms/ideas etc. that we may come into contact with throughout the literature review and research process. My Pioneer professor also personally recommended a paper that one of his colleagues had published that pertained to me topic. My Pioneer professor was always engaging and really seemed to care about his students-- he always provided good feedback and constructive criticism that allowed me to produce the best paper that I could.
Pioneer gave me a huge leg up in distinguishing myself when eventually applying to college, because not only did I have an undergraduate level research paper at the end to show for, but I also received college credits through Oberlin college for the work I did with Pioneer. I also had the opportunity to be published through Pioneer; a link to the publication can be accessed here: http://pioneeracademics.com/html/news_detail.php?id=568. This helped show that I was able to reach a unique level of scholarship while still a high school student. Moreover, the experience and skills I gained in research through Pioneer allowed me to be more confident when I conducted research in the future, as well as at the collegiate level. Having a research background with Pioneer better prepares me for when I will do research at university/college. Additionally, having the feedback I did during Pioneer helped me in writing stronger research papers generally.
To be completely candid, Pioneer may have some drawbacks for some. For example, the program costs about $6k, but I would please urge that you do not let financial barriers prevent you from applying. I myself did not have the finances necessary but I was able to receive a full scholarship through the program that allowed me to complete it. Additionally, there is a lot of work to be done throughout the program, especially if you are taking the accelerated summer term. It takes a dedicated student to be able to put an upwards of 10 hours a week for about 10 weeks to work on a research paper. But again, do not let this discourage you, as the experience gained through Pioneer far outweigh the difficulties you encounter. This program is not for those looking to boost their college resumes, or who are not at least somewhat interested in trying research. It takes a lot of hard work to complete the program, and there has to be a genuine interest in the topic you are researching in order to enjoy your time with Pioneer. Good news is that there are about 30 or more topics you can choosing, ranging from architecture to chemistry, and everything in between. All Pioneer professors are phenomenal, serving as full-time college professors for at least 7 years, and who willingly volunteer their time to mentor high school students through Pioneer.
I absolutely loved my time in the Pioneer Academics Research Program, and although arduous, I would 100% do it again. I had a wonderful experience with the program and gained skills that have allowed me to get ahead in my academic and personal life. To this day, Pioneer continues to support me. After I had concluded with the program, I was still supplied with opportunities such as having a Zoom meeting with an admissions officer about how to best represent Pioneer in the college application, and overall how to best represent oneself and craft a story in the application. I am forever grateful to the program, and strongly recommend that you apply.
If you’d like more insight on the journal as well, which is a professional peer-reviewed journal, wherein papers are vetted by a panel of distinguished professors from American graduate and undergraduate institutions, please do not hesitate to reach out!
) But if you are already equipped with enough background knowledge in the field, Pioneer should work. I didn’t even take Bio class in high school, so it was a bit tough in the beginning. The professor was really patient and I really benefited a lot from a small class. The professor selected a few papers from academic journals, and they were hard to understand. But the professor was extremely supportive and I grew more used to doing synthesis and reading literature.