I am interested in being part of a research institute during the school year. I have looked for research opportunities from the local universities and they only offer summer internships or small camps. For opportunities during the school year, they only have a program for undergraduate students.
I am thinking of three ways I can get involved:
Apply for the summer internship and ask the internship coordinator how I can be a part of their undergraduate program.
Contact a professor directly and ask if I can be an exception
Ask for mentorship from a professor on my own projects and ask if I can be involved
And if all else fails…
Plan B: Start my own research institute for high school students.
What is the best way to get involved with your local university research institute?
TBH It helps if you “know someone”. I would ask your science teachers if they have friends or acquaintances at the local U or see if your parents know anyone who knows anyone. If you have a personal recommendation/connection it’s more likely someone will let you do some work for them during the year. Otherwise, participating in the summer institute and being a stand-out might give you the connection you need to keep going in the same lab during the year. Keep in mind that in a research-oriented university a professor’s first priority is probably their own research, then their grad students, then their undergraduate students… so a high school student from outside the U falls pretty far down on their list. That doesn’t mean you can’t find something but approach it with the understanding that you’re asking for a favor, not offering one. You might also look for research opportunities in local non-educational institutes - medical, chemical, defense. They don’t have as much of a ready pool of workers (students) so you might get more interesting work by volunteering as a RA there. Just be aware that they tend to publish less - I don’t know your interest but in some disciplines that’s more important than others.
I know someone who started their own research lab for high school students. I don’t know how much meaningful research came out of it and she had pretty substantial support. Not sure that will get you the experience you want, although the organizing work builds its own set of skills.