There is an ever-present drive in high school students to find new ways to impress admissions officers, to differentiate themselves from their thousands of fellow applicants. The most recent trend has been research, and this has opened up new horizons, and new issues.
As more students partake in research, admissions officers are raising their standards. They want to see that you’ve done something meaningful, and learned something from the experience. The best way to do this is through peer review, adding your research and the new knowledge you have found to the collective pool of scientific understanding.
This can be done by publishing your research, but that isn’t the only approach available. Academics also present at conferences, and those represent an incredible opportunity for high school students. In this article, we’re going to go through some conferences that are specifically aimed at high school students, and share how you can use these to present your research, and impress colleges. Let’s jump in!
What are Academic Conferences Anyway?
This isn’t something most high school students are aware of, nor do you need to be. That said, the rest of this article will make more sense if we take some time now to explain what academic conferences are, and how they work. Put simply, academic conferences are gatherings of academics in a single location to share their latest work and research in a particular area.
Research moves slowly, and research groups work independently. It is therefore beneficial to the community at large to have gatherings where ideas and developments in the field can be shared. Sure, journal articles allow this, but conferences let you meet with and hear directly from peers and contemporaries in the field.
Conferences are organized around a particular topic within a field; how broad or narrow that is depends on conference and field. Notable academics are then invited to give lectures, and others to submit proposals for lectures. Junior researchers, especially graduate students and undergrads, are invited to submit poster presentations, where they also have the opportunity to present their research and findings. This is where high school students may make their mark as well.
Unlike journals, conferences are discreet in time and space; you must submit your proposal by a certain date, you always hear back by a certain date, and the conference itself then happens when and as advertised. Most conferences are in person; this can be a major barrier for high school students, since travel and hotels are expensive. We will include a guide for finding local conference opportunities as well though.
At a conference, there will be a designated time for you to present your poster, where you stand by it and answer questions, discussing your findings with other attendees. These are staggered, so you will also have time to attend talks or discuss with other poster presenters.
Conferences for High School Research
Now that you know what conferences are generally, we’re going to explore some conferences which accept research from high school students. Some of these are designed specifically for high school researchers to present, while others are formal academic conferences which will accept research from high school students if it meets their standards.
Note that for many of the professional conferences, you are required to have a coauthor for the research who is a full professor. This is why many high school students work with research mentors. You should still be doing all the research yourself, but having a mentor to guide your research is generally an expected part of the scientific process.
International Young Researchers Conference
This is an in-person and virtual conference hosted annually (though the in-person and virtual sessions have different dates). This is truly an international conference; while it is hosted in Japan, students from around the world submit abstracts and present. They allow research from any STEM field or medicine to be presented.
You must submit an abstract to present, those selected will be invited. The in-person session is a poster and oral presentation, while the virtual session is only an oral presentation. All presenters will have their work published in a peer reviewed conference proceedings journal. This includes the abstract, and can include a full research paper if you submit one.
This is expensive; while there are scholarships available, going to Japan for a conference may be beyond the means of many students. If, however, you live closer to that area of the world, this is going to be much more accessible than many of the conferences in the US. As a conference designed specifically for high school students, this is a great way to share your research.
Harvard Science Research Conference
This is an annual two-day research conference hosted on Harvard’s campus with the goal of allowing high school students to share original research they have accomplished. This conference is specifically for research done in scientific disciplines, and has an overarching goal of promoting scientific research to high school students.
The research conference allows students to present their work on a poster. There are also symposiums by Harvard faculty, smaller workshops, and mentorship opportunities from current Harvard students. High school students from around the world are invited to participate in this conference. There is a $20 application fee, and a participation fee of $30 for virtual attendees and $130 for in-person attendees.
This is one of the most accessible conferences, as it is designed specifically for high school students, and because they have a virtual option. While virtual attendance is not nearly as fun as attending physically, it does make this much more accessible for students with less means. This is a conference we recommend for students across the US, especially those who may have difficulty traveling to other conferences.
Sigma Xi Student Research Showcase
This is a twice annual conference where high school, undergraduate, and graduate students can present their research. They allow both traditional poster presentations, and multimedia presentations. There are no awards, but presenters receive feedback on their research from academics and researchers, and get a chance to network with other young researchers.
You do not need to be a member of Sigma Xi to present at one of these, though if you are interested in research, then joining Sigma Xi may be a good idea anyway. These events are often used to bring interested students into Sigma Xi, and serve as a recruiting tool. Sigma Xi is a scientific research honors society, with chapters located across the US. Locate a local chapter to inquire about participating in this conference.
We recommend this conference for students who want to push a bit beyond purely high school conferences, and who are looking to network with researchers who are slightly more advanced in their careers. If you are looking to continue pursuing research in college and beyond, then this is a good community to get involved with now.
Institute for Research In Schools (IRIS)
This conference is organized in the UK, and is only for students who live in and attend school in the United Kingdom. Specifically, the organization creates pre-made research projects that it shares with schools; students at those schools complete them, and share their individual results at these conferences.
There is significantly less flexibility in this research, and a limited number of topics, though there are options in a number of STEM disciplines. Much of this is designed to have local impact however. These projects and presentations are especially useful for younger students as an introduction to research, while older students would benefit more from more independent projects.
We don’t recommend this conference for most students, simply because most students can’t partake in it. The limited options for subjects on which to perform your research also limits the appeal of this one for many students. It is a good first taste of the research process, and an opportunity worth considering if you do live in the UK, but not the best way to spend your time.
MIT THINK Scholars Program
Unlike many other programs on this list, this is a symposium, rather than a conference, and also serves as a research mentorship opportunity. This is a program which high school students can apply for; those who are accepted are partnered with a mentor, who is a professor or researcher at MIT. Under their guidance, the student pursues a research topic in a field they are already knowledgeable about.
Students then have the opportunity to come to MIT in the summer to present their findings, and hear from other members of the program. This is a remarkable opportunity in terms of what it offers, because getting this kind of mentorship can be quite difficult. While the presentation at the symposium is less impressive than an independent research conference, the experience itself is highly worthwhile.
Applications for the program open November 1, and are due January 1 each year. Unlike the other conferences, you must be a finalist in the associated think program to do and present research; that’s why it’s a symposium, rather than a conference. We do recommend students interested in pursuing research apply for this program; research done for this can be expanded upon and presented in other venues as well.
American Junior Academy of Science
This is an offshoot of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), and is an honors society designed to recognize high school students for their excellence in research. Students are nominated by their state academy, and finalists are invited to the annual AAAS conference, where they have a chance to present their research, learn from and network with experts, and tour local laboratories.
This is not quite the same as other research conferences, as it follows a format closer to that of a science fair, with states holding competitions and sending the winning scientific projects to the national conference. This is still rather a prestigious opportunity, and worth considering; since there are branches of AAAS in each state, there is bound to be some opportunity near you. The national conference is in February each year.
While the projects which get sent to this conference may be competitive at the state level, this is not a science fair, and there is no “winner”. The goal is to share and explore science collectively, and to inspire and support the next generation of researchers. This is an excellent opportunity for students, especially since projects presented here can later be adapted for publication.
National Conference on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)
Unlike most other conferences, NCUR exists solely to promote research done by undergraduates, and does not confine itself to a single field or discipline. Original research done in any subject at a high level may be submitted to this conference. This conference is held in a different city each year, but always within the continental US.
Submission opens in September, and is due in December. Papers may be on any research topic, but must follow their formatting guidelines. You may submit either poster or presentation research, but students find the most success with poster presentations. You are expected to travel to the research conference to present your research.
While this conference is explicitly for undergraduates, it (and many other undergraduate conferences) do welcome submissions from high school students if they are completed at the level of research they expect. The standards are quite high, but then that’s rather the point, and why presenting at a conference is impressive. While the cost to travel to this conference may be prohibitive, the breadth of topics it accepts can make it appealing.
Conferences Local to You
Universities exist at the forefront of research, and exist in large part to support and further this research. To that end, most universities, especially top research universities, host research conferences for undergraduate students, both for their own students, and for those at other institutions.
These can be irregular, but if you look at universities near you, you are likely to find at least a few conferences. Now, not every field will be equally represented; this depends on the interests of the university and the budgets of departments. That said, if you are looking to pursue and present your own research, your local university is one of the best places to start. Reaching out to ask can be scary, but most scholars are happy to hear from students who are passionate about their field.
Final Thoughts
There are many hurdles for high school students interested in pursuing research, and finding a way to share it with the scientific community is certainly one. We hope that this article has given you one path you can take to sharing your own research, and shown you how high school students can add to the scientific literature. It isn’t an easy thing to do, but things worth doing so rarely are.
If you are looking for help pursuing your own research projects, or mentors who can help you explore these topics, then Ivy Scholars’ research mentorship program may be right for you. Our mentors are all experienced and widely published researchers, and are well equipped to help students like you add meaningfully to the scientific community. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more, we’re always happy to hear from you.
