15 Research Programs for High School Students in Montana
- Stephen Turban
- May 10
- 11 min read
Research opportunities can help high school students move beyond textbooks and classroom learning. While traditional coursework introduces foundational concepts, research programs provide opportunities to explore questions, analyze data, and contribute to real-world problem-solving. These experiences often involve working alongside university faculty, industry professionals, or experienced mentors, helping students understand how knowledge is developed across fields like STEM, healthcare, environmental science, and the humanities.
Why should I do a research program in high school?
Participating in a research program during high school can help you develop skills that are difficult to gain through standard coursework. These programs often teach you how to read academic literature, frame research questions, collect and analyze data, and present findings clearly. Research experience can also strengthen college applications, particularly for selective programs or competitive majors. Admissions committees often look for evidence of initiative, curiosity, and sustained engagement with a subject. You may also gain mentorship from university faculty, graduate students, or professionals working in research-related fields, which can help clarify your academic interests and future career goals. Many research programs also provide opportunities to present findings through papers, posters, or presentations. These experiences help students develop communication skills and confidence in academic settings.
Why should I consider a research program in Montana?
For local students seeking research programs for high school students in Montana, several options offer hands-on learning, mentorship, and academic exploration. Montana’s universities, research institutes, and healthcare organizations offer opportunities that focus on areas such as environmental science, biomedical research, and public policy. In addition, some national and virtual research programs remain accessible to students living in Montana, expanding access to specialized mentorship and academic guidance. These research programs for high school students in Montana also allow students to work on independent or collaborative projects, learn research methodologies, and develop academic writing skills.
Below is a curated list of 15 research programs for high school students in Montana that offer structured research experiences, mentorship, and hands-on learning.
15 Research Programs for High School Students in Montana
Location: McLaughlin Research Institute, Great Falls
Stipend: $3,500
Dates: June 15–August 7
Application Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: U.S. high school juniors and seniors
At the McLaughlin Research Institute, you work in an active biomedical research setting alongside faculty, research staff, and other student interns. Your day-to-day experience can involve supporting laboratory studies, learning how experiments are structured, and contributing to projects connected to neurological disease and related areas of investigation. Journal clubs and seminars add useful context by helping you engage with scientific literature and ongoing conversations in the field. You also observe how research teams collaborate, troubleshoot, and interpret findings as projects progress. This paid research program for high school students in Montana concludes with a formal presentation, giving you the chance to explain your project and reflect on what you learned through the summer.
Location: Remote
Cost: Varies according to program type | Full financial aid is available
Dates: Vary by cohort: summer, fall, winter, or spring | Options range from 12 weeks to 1 year
Application Deadline: Varies by cohort
Eligibility: Current high school students who demonstrate a high level of academic achievement (accepted students have an unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4)
The Lumiere Research Scholar Program allows you to pursue an independent research project with sustained one-on-one guidance from a PhD-level mentor. Once you identify an area of interest, you work through the key stages of academic research, including narrowing a question, reviewing relevant scholarship, and building an argument supported by evidence. The program is flexible in scope, which means your project can fall within STEM, social science, business, or the humanities, depending on your interests. Weekly mentor meetings help you refine your thinking while also strengthening your research, writing, and analytical skills. As the project develops, you receive detailed feedback that pushes you to revise your structure, sharpen your claims, and improve the clarity of your work. By the end, you will have completed a polished research paper that reflects a full cycle of guided academic inquiry.
Location: All 50 U.S. states plus Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico, and the Pacific Islands
Stipend: $3,000
Dates: 8 weeks from June to August
Application Deadline: January 25
Eligibility: Rising high school seniors aged 16+ years
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program introduces you to aquatic science through a mentored placement that combines fieldwork, observation, and research support. Each student is matched with a fisheries professional, and the work usually involves fish biology, habitat monitoring, or conservation science. You may help collect samples, track environmental conditions, assist with population studies, or support efforts related to fisheries management. Many placements also include office-based tasks, such as organizing findings, documenting observations, or working with field-gathered data. The experience closes with a national summit where you can reflect on your internship, explore future pathways, and connect your summer work to broader careers in fisheries and aquatic science.
Location: Virtual
Cost: Varies depending on program type | Financial aid available
Dates: The spring and fall cohorts run 15 weeks, while the summer cohort runs 10 weeks (June-September)
Application Deadline: Multiple deadlines throughout the year for the Spring, Summer, and Fall cohorts
Eligibility: High school students with good academic standing (>3.67/4.0 GPA) can apply | Most accepted students are 10th/11th graders | A few tracks require prerequisites
This online research program for high school students gives you the chance to investigate a specialized topic in depth while working toward a structured academic paper. After choosing a subject track, you are paired with a mentor who helps you shape your research question and decide how to approach it methodically. Early stages of the program focus on building conceptual clarity, identifying strong sources, and understanding the kind of evidence your project will require. As you move forward, you will spend time drafting, revising, and strengthening your analysis so that the final paper reflects a clear, well-supported argument. The program also encourages you to carefully consider research design, especially if your track includes a choice between qualitative and quantitative methods. By the end, you leave with a substantial paper that shows sustained engagement with a focused area of study. Apply here!
Location: Multiple Logan Health facilities across Montana
Stipend: Paid and unpaid opportunities | Varies by placement
Dates: Vary by placement
Application Deadline: Rolling | Apply here directly
Eligibility: High school students aged 16+
Logan Health’s High School Internship Program allows you to explore healthcare settings through placements that can include both operational and research-oriented work. While many internship options focus on broader healthcare functions, students interested in research can gain exposure to clinical research environments connected to ongoing trials and data collection efforts. In such placements, you may observe how research teams coordinate studies, organize information, and support projects involving new treatments, medical devices, or patient data registries. Even outside direct research roles, the program helps you understand how large health systems bring together science, administration, and patient-centered services. You also build workplace skills by working with staff, following professional expectations, and contributing to team-based projects.
Location: University of Montana, Missoula
Cost: Free (fully funded)
Dates: December–June
Application Deadline: November 2
Eligibility: Students currently enrolled as a junior in a Montana area public, private, or homeschool high school | U.S. citizens or permanent residents | Must have a passing Grade Point Average (GPA) | Limited to 24 students
Project Bridge combines intercultural learning, leadership development, and collaborative research through a yearlong experience centered on Korea and U.S.-Korea relations. As a participant in this research program, you join a cohort of participants from different regions and work through a sequence of workshops that examine history, language, society, diplomacy, and race relations. A central part of the program is the collaborative research project, which asks you to investigate a topic with students from other cities and develop your ideas through discussion and shared analysis. Throughout the year, you strengthen your public speaking and communication skills while learning how to present complex cultural and historical ideas clearly. The program also includes direct engagement with diplomats, officials, and other professionals whose work connects to international affairs and cross-cultural understanding. After returning, you share what you learned through community presentations.
Location: University of Montana, Missoula
Cost: Free
Dates: July 21–25
Application Deadline: June 6
Eligibility: High school students (freshmen-seniors) who are interested in history, law, and government
The University of Montana’s Summer History Institute introduces you to historical research through a focused academic experience built around a central theme. You’ll get to work with primary and secondary sources to explore how historians build arguments and interpret the past. Depending on the year’s topic, you may examine materials such as newspapers, photographs, oral histories, letters, legal texts, or government documents. Class discussions, film viewings, and guided analysis help you connect individual sources to larger historical questions. You also collaborate with other students on a group research project that asks you to synthesize evidence and present a clear interpretation. The week concludes with a presentation of your group’s findings, giving you a concrete way to share the results of your research.
Location: Remote
Stipend: $500
Dates: 2 weeks in the summer
Application Deadline: Varies by host institution
Eligibility: Rising sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are at least 16 years old when the program starts
The American Cancer Society High School Program introduces you to cancer research through a virtual format that blends scientific exploration with structured project work. Working with the eCLOSE Institute, you examine questions in oncology, cancer biology, and the broader challenges of understanding and treating disease. Case studies and guided assignments help you see how researchers frame medical problems, interpret evidence, and connect scientific discoveries to patient outcomes. This online research program for high school students in Montana also broadens your perspective by highlighting different careers tied to research, medicine, and health-related fields. Interactions with peers and professionals make the experience more collaborative and help you understand how cancer research fits into a larger healthcare landscape. Another useful aspect is that the program extends beyond the core summer session through continued networking and career development opportunities.
Location: Remote
Cost: $2,400 + $45 application fee (financial aid is available)
Dates: Session A: June 15–26 | Session B: July 6 – 17
Application Deadline: February 20
Eligibility: U.S. high school students (14+) with solid math or computer programming skills, or those who have worked on a healthcare project
Stanford’s AIMI Summer Research Internship explores how artificial intelligence is used in medicine through a structured virtual research experience. Over the course of the program, you learn how machine learning tools can be applied to areas such as medical imaging, diagnostic support, and health data interpretation. Lectures introduce the technical and clinical foundations behind these applications, while small-group project work gives you the chance to engage more actively with the material. You work with Stanford-affiliated mentors and student leads who help you think through research questions, interpret results, and understand the limits of AI systems in healthcare settings. A speaker series adds another perspective by connecting students with professionals working across medicine, academia, technology, and policy. By the end, you will complete a focused health-AI project that reflects both conceptual learning and guided research application.
Location: Remote
Cost: $25 application fee + $1299 for 3 credits
Dates: June 18–August 12
Application Deadline: February 15
Eligibility: 15 years or older for the remote internships | 16 years or above for wet-lab in-person/hybrid internships
ASSIP engages students in a faculty-led research environment where they spend the summer contributing to an active STEM project. Because the program spans many disciplines, your work may involve coding, literature review, data analysis, experimental design, or other tasks shaped by your mentor’s research area. As the program progresses, you build technical and analytical skills while learning how research teams define problems and refine methods over time. Regular mentor feedback helps you improve your approach and better understand how results are interpreted in professional settings. You also participate in discussions and forums that introduce you to scientific careers and the broader culture of research. The research program for high school students in Montana concludes with a poster symposium, where you present your findings in a format commonly used in academic research.
Location: Remote
Cost: $1,200
Dates: June 29–July 10
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
Biotech Research: Online introduces you to molecular biology through a combination of at-home experimentation, guided discussion, and independent investigation. Using materials sent to your home, you work through lab-based activities that help you understand how biotechnology techniques are used in scientific and medical contexts. These exercises can include bacterial transformation, micropipetting, and antibody testing, all designed to build practical familiarity with core lab methods. The program also connects these techniques to larger questions involving genetics, disease, and biotechnology applications beyond the lab. In addition to the experimental work, you complete an independent research project focused on a genetic disease, which adds a more investigative and academic dimension to the experience. The experience ends with a formal presentation where you share your project and communicate what you learned.
Location: Remote
Cost: $1,200
Dates: July 6–17
Application Deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: High school students
This research program for high school students in Montana examines surgery through a combination of anatomy, procedural reasoning, and disease-focused research. Early parts of the program help you build familiarity with surgical tools, basic techniques, and the scientific principles that shape clinical decision-making. As the course develops, you explore how surgeons evaluate symptoms, interpret evidence, and choose among possible interventions in different medical scenarios. Guided case studies connect this decision-making process to anatomy and physiology, making the material more applied and less abstract. Simulations and dissection-based activities add another dimension by helping you engage directly with structures and systems relevant to surgical care. Alongside this practical work, you research diseases and treatments that require surgical intervention, culminating in a presentation where you share your findings and bring together the clinical and research aspects of the course.
Location: Remote
Cost: $1,795 (need-based scholarships are available)
Dates: Multiple 2-week and 4-week sessions available throughout the year
Application Deadline: Varies depending on session
Eligibility: High school students aged 13 and above
Notre Dame’s Medical Research: Advancing Human Health introduces you to the many ways scientific research contributes to medicine and public health. The research program for high school students in Montana examines how researchers study disease across multiple levels, from molecular and cellular processes to whole organisms and larger populations. As you move through the curriculum, you learn about model organisms, experimental methods, translational research, and the path from scientific finding to broader health impact. The program also asks you to think critically about why certain methods are chosen and how scientific conclusions are developed from evidence. A capstone project adds depth by having you analyze a major medical discovery and consider where future research could go.
Location: Remote
Cost: $2,600–$3,000
Dates: Vary by semester
Application Deadline: Varies by semester
Eligibility: Students in grades 9–12 | Minimum GPA of 3.0 | At least 14 years old by the start of the course
UCSD Research Scholars in Bioengineering introduces you to bioengineering through a sequence of courses that gradually build from foundational skills to more independent research. In the earlier stages, you work through structured activities using lab kits, guided planning, and data analysis to understand core concepts in the field. As you advance, the program becomes more project-based, allowing you to collaborate with peers on research or design challenges involving areas such as biomechanics, tissue engineering, or bioimaging. This progression helps you see how bioengineering combines scientific experimentation with problem-solving and design thinking. In the most advanced phase, students may propose and execute an original project with support connected to a university lab environment.
Location: Remote
Cost: $2,350 | Scholarships available
Dates: Session One: June 22–July 10 | Session Two: July 13–31
Application Deadline: Typically by the end of January or early February
Eligibility: High school students aged 15–18 | Minimum unweighted GPA of 3.3 out of 4
The UC Irvine School of Medicine Summer Online Research Program introduces you to the expectations and methods of medical research through a mentor-supported academic structure. Throughout the experience, you learn to evaluate medical literature, conduct literature reviews, and carefully consider the evidence used in clinical and health-related research. Online modules, written feedback, and virtual meetings work together to give the program both flexibility and accountability. A major component is the development of a research report, which allows you to practice organizing complex scientific information into a clear, evidence-based written project. Faculty and academic coaches also help contextualize the work by discussing academic pathways and research-oriented careers in medicine.
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.
Image Source - Horizon Academic Research Program logo