Summer Research Scholars is a virtual, two week research program for high school students. During this program, students complete their own independent research projects in collaboration with mentors and fellow scholars – all online! Scholars join our team from across the United States.
Summer 2024 Program
Friday, July 22 to Friday, August 2
Virtual learning activities will take place from noon to 4:30 p.m. CT on Mondays through Fridays throughout the program.
SRS Poster Session 2024
Audrey Y. – How is Mental Health Discussed in Relation to the TikTok Ban?
Eli H. – Mental Health References on Instagram’s Academic Posts
Emily W. – Swimmers’ Bodies: How TikTok Users View Males and Females
Ethan B. – Prevalence of Emotional Reactions Found in SAT Score Release Threads: A Content Analysis on Reddit
Geo E. – Linguistic Analysis of Comments on Fitness Influencers’ Instagram Reels by Gender
Grace H. – Adolescent Anxiety Posts on Reddit: A Content Analysis
Hannah L. – #antivaccers on Instagram: A Deductive Content Analysis
Jaylene L. – #SuicidePrevention on Instagram: Content Analysis of Comments
Jean-Luc L. – COVID Recovery: A Content Analysis of X (Twitter)
Lillian J. – #Abortion: A Content Analysis of Post Interaction and Mental Health References
Samuel P. – Analyzing Vaping and Age on TikTok
Shreya K. – #Vaping and #Nicotine Content on TikTok: A Comparative Analysis of Themes and User Interaction
Suha M. – Exploring Emotional and Linguistic Patterns in #AlcoholRecovery TikTok Comments
Yael R.- Analysis of Dieting Advice on Instagram
At the end of the program Scholars participate in a virtual poster presentation. They present their research findings in the field of social media and adolescent health. Go to the poster archive below to learn more about the research of past scholars!
Hear from past scholars
“I’m so grateful for SRS for providing me with the opportunity to learn research skills in a judgement-free, positive, encouraging space. I truly felt like every mentor was there to help me succeed, and the other scholars were there to support me in any way they could.”
“I really enjoyed both the connections I was able to make, the incredible support from the SMAHRTeam in learning the research process, and maybe most of all, the extensive opportunities that I have been lucky enough to get, such as the JMIR article submission.”
“Summer Research Scholars introduced me to the world of online learning, and how research is done at a professional level. Being able to go through the research process has been better informed me on future opportunities I may encounter and careers in research.”
“SRS 2020 was a rare and incredible experience. The ability to research the implications of social media on mental health, in a pandemic that renders it some people’s main mode of communication, was a unique opportunity I won’t soon forget.”
“The opportunity to participate in the Summer Research Scholars program has shown me just how accessible research can be. Despite the stay-at-home orders of 2020, I was able to dive into a really interesting project examining COVID-19, social media, and adolescent mental health. Research is not exclusive to the lab, but rather where we are most curious.”
“My favorite part about the Summer Research Scholars program was the collaboration aspect of meeting with a small group of people that I could bounce off ideas with. It was also helpful to be provided a lot of time to focus on choosing a topic of interest and completing each step of the research process to the best of my abilities. I loved that I was able to find a topic I really felt passionate about and could feel engaged during each step of the research process.”
“The best part of SRS was learning how to run my own research project with the help and support of a mentor. I know I’m new to the research process, but SRS gave me the opportunity to dive deep into a new field, and build a foundation for something I definitely want to pursue in the future.”