Important
- Applications are closed. Only the applications submitted prior to the deadline will be reviewed for program consideration (no exceptions).
- Acceptances will be communicated on a rolling basis between late March and April 30, 2024 once decisions have been made for a particular research opportunity.
- Please do not email or call for the status of your application.
- The Summer 2024 program is now closed for applications. Applications closed March 15 midnight EST.
- Please read all info & FAQ on this page.
Summer Internships for High School Students
The Laboratory Learning Program is a full-time, free research experience in the sciences or engineering for high school students. Students are included in ongoing research programs where they are closely supervised by Princeton faculty and research staff. The participation dates are customized according to the schedules of the research personnel and the specifics of the project. Internships typically span 5-6 weeks during regular 'office hours' over the summer (no evening or weekend activities). Each research opportunity has its own schedule. There are no virtual projects.
The Laboratory Learning Program is not a summer camp. The Laboratory Learning Program does not include housing, transportation, social activities or entertainment. LLP students are not eligible to lease or sublease Princeton University housing.
Participants
- Sixteen years old or more by June 15, 2024. No exceptions.
- Enrolled in high school. Graduates who have not yet turned 18 by June 15, 2024 may apply.
- US citizens, legal permanent residents, or international students currently in the United States attending a US high school.
- Once accepted, parental consent forms, evidence of health insurance, and a high school teacher nomination form (references) are required before attending the program, not during the application process.
- All participants must strictly adhere to Princeton University COVID-19 policies, which may include vaccination, face coverings, and testing or other requirements. No exceptions.
- Safety training is required prior to beginning laboratory work.
- Two-page research summary report is due at the conclusion of the program.
Research Opportunities
Student applications are open from February 15 to March 15 midnight EST 2024.
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Research Opportunity*
Title of Project
Application Deadline
ACEE-01
OPEN 2/15Development Piezoelectric Soft Robots
3/15/24
ACEE-02
OPEN 2/15Development of a Bio-Inspired Soft Robot
3/15/24
ACEE-03
OPEN 2/15Large Language Model Applications in Environmental Sustainability 3/15/24 CBE-01
OPEN 2/15Determining Copolymer Composition by Multidetector Gel Permeation Chromatography
3/15/24
CBE-02
OPEN 2/15A new twist on kirigami sheets 3/15/24 CBE-03
OPEN 2/15Characterizing and engineering thermophilic enzymes for biofuel production 3/15/24 CBE-04
OPEN 2/15Molecular Modeling and Machine Learning of Smart Polymeric Materials 3/15/24 CBE-05
OPEN 2/15Materials Characterization for Insights Into Production of High Performance Cathodes for Lithium Ion Batteries 3/15/24 CBE-06
OPEN 2/15Exploring lung development in birds and lizards 3/15/24 CBE-07
OPEN 2/15Hydrogels for environmental remediation 3/15/24 CEE-01
OPEN 2/15A Live Map of Radiative Cooling Potential of the World 3/15/24 CEE-02
OPEN 2/15Hurricane Risk Forecasting System 3/15/24 CEE-03
OPEN 2/15PFAS Impact on Freshwater microbial activity and Nitrogen Cycle 3/15/24 ECE-01
OPEN 2/15Fast hardware for multiplexed quantum sensing 3/15/24 ECE-02
OPEN 2/15Safe Robotics for Coral Reefs Conservation: Using Machine Learning to Navigate Ocean Currents 3/15/24 ECE-03
OPEN 2/15Imaging airflow 3/15/24 ECE-04
OPEN 2/15Sensing and Classification using Silicon Photonic Neural Network Chips 3/15/24 MAE-01
OPEN 2/15Re-creation of Joseph Henry's Historic Scientific Devices 3/15/24 MAE-02
OPEN 2/15High temperature plasma assisted ammonia synthesis 3/15/24 MAE-03
OPEN 2/15Ammonia combustion and NOx emission control 3/15/24 MAE-04
OPEN 2/15Machine learning and molecular dynamic simulations of high-pressure combustion for green power generation and propulsion using H2/NH3
3/15/24
MAE-05
OPEN 2/15Ferroelectric materials for plasma assisted chemical synthesis
3/15/24
MAE-06
OPEN 2/15Electrified non-equilibrium ammonia synthesis
3/15/24
MAE-07
OPEN 2/15Biofuel and E-fuel oxidation at supercritical pressure 3/15/24 MAE-08
OPEN 2/15The Electric Propulsion and Plasma Dynamics Lab 3/15/24 MAE-09
OPEN 2/15The 3D Audio and Applied Acoustics (3D3A) Lab 3/15/24 *Click on the code for more information for each research opportunity.
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Research Opportunity*
Title of Project
Application Deadline
CHE-01
OPEN 2/15Sustainable Catalysis 3/15/24 CHE-02
OPEN 2/15Novel Proteins with Novel Functions 3/15/24 CHE-03
OPEN 2/15Photoredox-Catalyzed Cross Coupling of Alkyl Chlorides Via Silyl-Radical Mediated Chlorine Atom Abstraction 3/15/24 CHE-04
OPEN 2/15NMR data analysis to identify metabolic inflammatory markers 3/15/24 CHE-05
OPEN 2/15Photothermally induced cobalt-mediated radical polymerization 3/15/24 GEO-01
OPEN 2/15Fossil Size Database: Analyzing the Animal Size Response to Past and Ongoing Climate Variability 3/15/24 LPB-01
OPEN 2/15Mapping Metabolism Through Computational Mass Spectrometry 3/15/24 LSI-01
OPEN 2/15Single-Nucleus transcriptome database 3/15/24 LSI-02
OPEN 2/15Modeling disease dysregulation using large genomic datasets
3/15/24 LSI-03
OPEN 2/15Decoding human genetic variation in human health and disease
3/15/24 MOL-01
OPEN 2/15Antibiotic discovery
3/15/24
MOL-02
OPEN 2/15Translational regulation of chemokine Cxcl12 in mouse mammary epithelial cells
3/15/24
MOL-03
OPEN 2/15Examining sexual dimorphism in response to stress in a Drosophila model
3/15/24
PHY-01
OPEN 2/15Biophysics: Custom Projects in Experiment and Computational Modeling
3/15/24
*Click on the code for more information for each research opportunity.
Applications - read all instructions carefully
- The application period is open from February 15 to March 15, 2024.
- Application Deadline: online applications: March 15, 2024 midnight U.S. eastern time. No mail in applications will be accepted.
- One application accepted per student; no supplemental materials accepted.
- All applications will be reviewed at the end of the application period, and not on a rolling basis.
- Acceptances will be communicated on a rolling basis between late March and April 30, 2024 once decisions have been made for a particular research opportunity.
- Projects will be marked as closed on this site, once the accepted students are notified by email. Students who are not selected will not be contacted individually by email. Please DO NOT CONTACT Science Outreach to check on the status of an application.
- Due to the volume of interest in this program, we are unable to respond to individual inquiries by email or phone.
- Do NOT contact faculty to request placement into the program.
- Parental consent forms, evidence of health insurance, and a high school nomination form are not required at the time of application but will be requested once the student has been offered a place in the program. These forms will only be accepted via email.
FAQS
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What is the application process?
- Applications are accepted online only. No mail in applications will be accepted.
- Each student may submit only one application in which up to two opportunities of interest are indicated.
- Do NOT contact faculty to request placement into the program.
- Accepted students will be notified by email using the email address provided in the application.
- Projects will be marked as closed once students have been selected.
- Students who are offered an opportunity will be required to submit additional forms and information in order to enter the program, including a parental consent form and a high school nomination form.
- Approvals will be communicated to the mentoring faculty member and the participating student by email.
What are the application deadlines and program dates?
- Application – Applications are accepted between February 15 to March 15, 2024.
- Application Deadline – March 15, 2024. Online applications must be submitted by midnight U.S. eastern time; no mail in applications will be accepted. No exceptions.
- Admission Decisions – Accepted participants will be contacted on a rolling basis as the selections are made for each opportunity. Projects will be marked as closed once students have been selected.
- Program Dates – Research activities take place during normal business hours daily. Most opportunities require a commitment of at least 5 weeks during the summer. Review individual opportunities for details.
What fields of study will be offered?
Natural sciences and engineering.
Is there a fee for the program?
There are no fees for participation in the program.
Who is eligible?
- Students must be 16 years of age or older by June 15. No exceptions.
- Students must be enrolled in high school. Students who have graduated from high school but have not yet turned 18 by June 15 may apply. No exceptions.
- Students must be US citizens, Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs), or international students currently in the United States attending a U.S. high school.
- Specific research opportunities may have additional eligibility criteria.
At Princeton University, we believe that the highest levels of research, scholarship, and teaching are obtained only through the combined participation of people with a diversity of viewpoints, backgrounds, and experiences. For this reason, the University welcomes under-represented and socio-economically disadvantaged students and provides an environment that embraces all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and physical abilities.
Are there exceptions to the eligibility criteria?
No.
How many applications do you receive each year?
During each of the past three years when the program was active, over 700 applications were received.
Was my application received?
When you submit your application, the message you will see is "Your submission has been received". If required fields are left blank or incorrectly filled out at the time of attempted submission, the application will not progress to the completion screen.
You will not receive an additional email message. Acceptances will be communicated on a rolling basis between late March and April 30 once decisions have been made for a particular research opportunity. If you are selected, you will receive a follow up email at that time. Due to the high volume of applications, we are not able to look up and confirm the status of individual submissions. Please do not call or email to confirm the status of your application.
After my application is submitted, can I change my selections or other information?
No. Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to change the selections listed in your application or any other information. No exceptions.
Can I submit supplemental materials, such as letters of recommendation and transcripts?
No. Do not send in any supplemental materials, they will not be accepted.
Does the program provide housing or transportation?
The Laboratory Learning Program is not a summer camp-style program. Students must have their own housing and reliable transportation to and from Princeton University; students are not eligible to lease or sublease University housing. The majority of program participants come from the surrounding communities. Students and families who are from outside the immediate region should have identified appropriate housing and transportation arrangements prior to submitting an application. Housing arrangements will be verified.
Is academic credit offered to participants in the Laboratory Learning Program?
The Laboratory Learning Program is an educational program for the benefit of the student. Students do not receive academic credit or other Princeton University credentials following participation in this program. Participation in the Laboratory Learning Program will not increase a student's chances of being accepted into Princeton University as an undergraduate.
When is the final report due?
Students must submit a 2-page research summary of their summer project to [email protected] by August 20 of the academic year in which the research is completed. The research report should summarize the research question, methods, data, and conclusion of the study.
What are the COVID-19 health and safety requirements?
All participants will be required to strictly adhere to Princeton University COVID-19 policies, which may include vaccination, face coverings, and testing - see our Visitor Policy.
Contact
Laboratory Learning Program
Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
[email protected]
Due to the volume of interest in this program, we are unable to respond to individual inquiries. Projects will be marked as closed on this site once accepted students have been notified by email.
No mail in applications will be accepted.
Laboratory Learning Program: [email protected]
*Please do not call or send emails to Science Outreach.
Application Instructions
The online application period is from February 15 to March 15, 2024. No mail-in applications will be accepted. Applicants are limited to one application per year.