15 Research Programs for High School Students in Idaho
- Stephen Turban
- Apr 6
- 12 min read
Research is a skill that matters across almost every subject you might choose later. Whether you are interested in science, economics, or even humanities, the ability to ask the right questions and work through information is essential. If you are in high school and want to build that skill early, research programs are one of the most direct ways to do that.
As a participant, you will usually work on a focused topic, read and analyze information, and build your own understanding step by step. You might collect data, review sources, or work on a guided project with mentorship. The process helps you understand how ideas are developed, tested, and presented in academic settings.
If you are based in Idaho, some universities and organizations offer research programs for high school students. These programs give you a structured way to explore subjects in more depth while also helping you understand what studying that field in college might look like.
Why should I do a research program in high school?
By joining a research program, you build skills like critical thinking, data analysis, and academic writing. You also learn how to approach open-ended questions and present your findings clearly. Choosing a program in Idaho can be more practical since you avoid travel and housing costs while still gaining meaningful experience. Research experience also strengthens your college applications and gives you strong examples to talk about in interviews, which admission officers value.
To help you explore your options, here are 15 research programs for high school students in Idaho!
15 Research Programs for High School Students in Idaho
Location: Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, or Snake River ACS Local Section locations at Boise State University, Boise, ID, ISU Meridian Health Sciences Center, Meridian, ID, or Northwest Nazarene University, Nampa, ID
Stipend: $4,000
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: 8-10 weeks over the summer; varies by project
Application Deadline: April 6
Eligibility: Current 10th-12th grade students preferred; students one year after high school graduation are eligible. Students must have an annual family income no higher than 300% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. Must have completed at least one year of high school chemistry and have a demonstrated interest in science/chemistry.
Project SEED places you inside a chemistry lab for 8 to 10 weeks, where you work full-time on a research project under a mentor. You spend your days running experiments, recording results, and slowly understanding how a research question turns into something measurable. The project is not pre-packaged, so you are figuring things out as you go, especially when results don’t behave the way you expected. Toward the end, you write a formal report or build a poster that explains what you worked on and how you approached it. Depending on your placement, you might also attend campus visits, science fairs, or research events, and some students go on to present their work at larger conferences.
Location: Remote , you can participate in this program from anywhere in the world!
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Full financial aid available.
Application Deadline: Varying deadlines based on cohort.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Varies by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring. Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year.
Eligibility: You must be currently enrolled in high school and demonstrate a high level of academic achievement.
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program is a rigorous research program tailored for high school students. The program offers extensive 1-on-1 research opportunities for high school students across a broad range of subject areas that you can explore as a high schooler. The program pairs high school students with Ph.D. mentors to work 1-on-1 on an independent research project. At the end of the 12-week program, you’ll have developed an independent research paper! You can choose research topics from subjects such as psychology, physics, economics, data science, computer science, engineering, chemistry, international relations, and more. You can find more details about the application here, and check out students’ reviews of the program here and here.
Location: Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID
Stipend: Paid; exact amount determined by experience. Travel reimbursements, paid holidays, and housing stipends are typically provided.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: 10-16 weeks; coordinated between students and mentors based on the project and availability.
Application Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Full-time students attending an accredited high school or college in the semester before and after the internship. Minimum 3.0 GPA.
The Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory funds internships for high school, undergraduate, and graduate students, providing 10-16 weeks of research experience on government-sponsored projects. Your first week is spent planning your project with your mentor, which gives you a sense of direction before the actual work begins. After that, your time is focused on experiments, data work, or technical tasks, depending on your field. You also attend seminars, lab tours, and networking sessions that show how different areas of research connect inside the lab. The experience is long enough that you start seeing how projects evolve rather than just how they begin.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type. Financial aid is available.
Application Date: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September).
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply. Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders!
Horizon offers trimester-long research programs for high school students across subject areas such as data science, machine learning, political theory, and more! Horizon is one of the few research programs for high school students that offers you the choice to engage in either quantitative or qualitative research. Once you select a particular subject track, Horizon pairs you with a professor/PhD scholar who acts as a mentor throughout your research journey. As a participant, you will be expected to develop a 20-page research paper that you can send to prestigious journals for publication as a high school student. The program also provides a letter of recommendation for each student and detailed project feedback that you can use to work on future projects. Apply here!
Location: University of Idaho Moscow Campus, Moscow, ID, and McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), McCall, ID
Stipend: Stipend provided
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 15-20 students
Dates: July 6-18
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Rising 10th-12th grade students from the 11 Tribal Reservations with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the University of Idaho. Graduating seniors who plan to attend the University of Idaho in the fall and otherwise meet the criteria are also eligible.
HOIST is a college access program supporting Native American students in Idaho with academic programming and research experience in STEM. You’ll participate in internships with University of Idaho faculty and professionals in the area, gaining hands-on STEM research experience within academia and/or industry. You’ll also take courses in math, English, and science to broaden your academic skills and prepare you for more advanced high school classes. You’ll additionally go on field trips, participate in academic workshops, learn about STEM careers, and attend guest lectures from professional scientists and engineers, providing industry exposure and networking opportunities.
Location: Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, ID, or Remote (in-person attendance required for some events)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective
Dates: March 20 - June 18
Application Deadline: February 27
Eligibility: 11th-12th grade students from accredited schools or homeschool programs in Southeast Idaho.
SparkLab runs over three months, where you work in a small “mentor pod” alongside researchers and a few other students. You spend your time contributing to ongoing lab work while also taking part in structured challenges that simulate different research problems. The setup lets you move between real projects and guided exercises, which makes it easier to understand how research decisions are made. You also explore areas like nuclear science and cybersecurity through sessions and facility exposure. The program ends with a research showcase where you present your work in a formal setting.
Location: Idaho State Museum, Boise, ID
Stipend: $500; paid in two installments in December and June
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 10 students
Dates: November 4 - June 16
Application Deadline: Late September
Eligibility: High school students from the Treasure Valley/Greater Boise region of Idaho
The Gem Internship places you inside a museum setting where research is tied to history, curation, and public education. You meet regularly with staff and spend time working through archives, collections, and historical records. The work involves understanding how exhibits are built, how information is presented, and how visitors engage with it. You also help design educational material and interact with museum visitors. Over several months, you work toward a final exhibition project that brings your research together in a visible format.
Location: Opportunities available throughout the U.S., including in Idaho. You will be assigned a mentor in your area within a 45-minute distance from your home.
Acceptance rate/Cohort size: Selective
Stipend: $3,000 plus an all-expense-paid trip to the Hutton Scholars Summit
Dates: Eight weeks in the summer; dates vary
Application deadline: January 19
Eligibility: Rising high school juniors and seniors, as well as recent graduates who are at least 16 years old and live in the U.S., Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada. Students from traditionally underrepresented communities are prioritized.
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program provides high school students in Idaho with a paid internship in fisheries and/or aquatic sciences. You’ll be matched with a professional researcher in your region, with whom you’ll design a research project in aquatic sciences, biology, and/or fisheries, drawing from the natural resources in your area. You’ll submit biweekly time sheets demonstrating your research involvement and submit a mid-summer report on your research progress. You’ll finish the program by writing a final research report on your project and findings.
Location: Multiple research institutions and natural sites across Idaho. The summit is hosted at the University of Idaho.
Cost: Free; monetary awards are given for top student projects
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; 400 students
Dates: One year
Application Deadline: Varies by school/region
Eligibility: High school students from Idaho. Students must attend a high school partnered with TCP.
The Confluence Project runs across the school year, where you study water systems and environmental issues through both coursework and fieldwork. You begin by learning the basics, then move into visiting natural sites where you collect samples and observe conditions directly. As the year progresses, you develop your own research question and carry out field-based work to explore it. This includes collecting data, analyzing results, and building a solution based on what you find. The final presentation takes place at a summit that feels closer to a conference than a school event.
Location: University of Idaho Moscow Campus, Moscow, ID (Summer Academy) and Remote (Coursework)
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: ISAS Coursework: Somewhat selective | Summer Academy: Very selective
Dates: Coursework: One semester | Summer Academy: One week in July
Application Deadline: October 26
Eligibility: High school juniors from Idaho
Idaho Science and Aerospace Scholars is a two-part program for high schoolers in Idaho with an interest in physics, aerospace engineering, and astronomy. You’ll begin with a semester-long remote course, where you’ll study a NASA-developed curriculum covering STEM topics with a focus on space exploration. You’ll complete a final project applying your knowledge to a research topic in aerospace sciences and receive one transferable college credit. If you’re one of the strongest performers in the Coursework program, you will be invited to the ISAS Summer Academy, a fully-funded one-week program hosted at the University of Idaho’s Moscow campus. Here, you’ll take on a challenge under the mentorship of professional scientists to design a simulated space mission to Mars.
Location: Critical Materials and Energy Systems Innovation Center, Idaho Falls, ID, and local schools
Cost: Free; budget provided for project and educational materials
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Very selective; 20 students
Dates: April 3 - May 1
Application Deadline: March 20
Eligibility: Current high school students from Eastern Idaho
The High School STEM Ambassadors Program, hosted by the Idaho National Laboratory, is a leadership and community outreach program with opportunities to engage in scientific research. You’ll begin the program with a series of training sessions on classroom teaching methods, youth instruction, STEM lesson planning, and managing a budget while working with professional researchers from a federally-funded laboratory. You’ll then design STEM lessons and activities for youth at local schools, where you can draw from scientific research across fields of your choosing to design interactive lessons and experiments exposing young students to advanced concepts in an accessible format.
Location: Idaho State University, Pocatello, ID, and participants’ high schools
Cost: Free; paid internships are offered.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Selective
Dates: Year-round programming throughout high school. Approx 2 meetings/month in October - April and 6-week Summer Academy in June and July
Application Deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: High school students who are prospective first-generation 4-year college students with a family income at or below 150% of the poverty level. Must attend one of the program’s 9 partnered schools.
Upward Bound runs throughout the year, with regular sessions during the school year and a longer summer program on campus. During the year, you attend meetings focused on academics, study skills, and college preparation. In the summer, you spend several weeks at ISU taking classes and, in some cases, working on research through internships. Older students can take on more advanced work, including college-level courses and research-based projects. The program builds gradually, with more responsibility as you move through high school.
Location: Multiple schools and community locations in Idaho
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: General Program: Open registration | Selective: by invitation, Regional Hub Events,s and Statewide Convening. 92 participants across Idaho.
Dates: Exact dates vary; program is a long-term commitment
Application Deadline: Rolling registration
Eligibility: Idaho students in grades 6-12
IESA runs as a long-term program where you explore STEM careers while working on projects in your community. You visit companies, meet professionals, and learn how different fields operate in practice. You also spend time developing skills like communication and leadership through structured activities. The program includes events where you connect with other students and mentors. Your work builds into a final project where you design something that brings STEM into your local community.
Location: Remote
Cost: $85 per credit plusa $300 administrative fee per course (courses typically provide multiple credits). Idaho students would fund their participation through the Advanced Opportunities (AO) program, receiving a $75 discount per credit from the standard $160 per credit fee.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open enrollment for eligible students.
Dates: Self-paced; must complete all coursework and exams within 12 months
Application Deadline: N/A; students may enroll at their preferred time. Students must adhere to timelines and regulations for requesting AO funding.
Eligibility: High school students in Idaho. Students and adults may also enroll in University of Idaho courses, but will not receive the AO program benefits.
The University of Idaho’s ISI program supports high school students looking to take on college-level coursework through the state’s Advanced Opportunities program, which provides funds for high school students’ educational enrichment. You’ll enroll in one or more courses of your choice, with options available across a wide variety of disciplines at sponsor schools, including the University of Idaho, Idaho State University, and Lewis-Clark State University. If you’re looking for research experience, review course syllabi to identify options emphasizing laboratory work or research projects. Your experience might include developing a final research paper on astronomical objects for Descriptive Astronomy, applying simulated lab software to analyze genetic shifts in Biology and Society Lab, or writing a public health research paper on HIV/AIDS in Blood and Airborne Pathogens. Your credits earned will be transferable to most colleges, allowing you to get a head start on your undergraduate requirements and build more advanced skills in your intended field of study.
Location: Idaho State University ESTEC, Pocatello, ID
Cost: Varies by camp; $75 - $125
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open registration
Dates: Session 1 - June 9-13 | Session 2 - July 7-11
Application Deadline: Rolling enrollment, closing one week before program start date or when workshops are at capacity
Eligibility: Workshops open to high schoolers include the following grade ranges: 5th-9th, 8th-12th, and 9th-12th. As a non-residential program, students must live within commuting distance of the campus.
Ignite Their Future runs as short workshops where you spend a few days working on specific STEM projects. Each workshop focuses on a different area, like robotics, medical response, or engineering systems. You build and test things directly, whether it’s programming a robot or working with embedded systems. The sessions are guided, but you are expected to handle most of the work yourself. You also get a sense of how these skills connect to actual careers and college programs.
Stephen is one of the founders of Lumiere and a Harvard College graduate. He founded Lumiere as a Ph.D. student at Harvard Business School. Lumiere is a selective research program in which students work one-on-one with a mentor to develop an independent research paper.
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