Hawaii high school students looking for research opportunities have an advantage that students in many other states don’t: Hawai’i’s public schools operate as a single, statewide district. That statewide reach gives students more options, but not every opportunity offers the same depth of research experience.
At one point, a “research opportunity” for a high schooler just meant shadowing a scientist for an afternoon or writing up someone else’s findings; on the programs that matter most, it now means designing and defending an original question of a student’s own — a distinction Hawai’i students shouldn’t have to give up just because they aren’t down the street from a research campus.
Hawai’i offers multiple research programs for high school students. Between University of Hawai’i labs, federal facilities in Honolulu, local nonprofits, and a small number of well-regarded virtual programs, students have access to a surprisingly broad range of legitimate research opportunities, opportunities to build research skills, and early exposure to research careers. This list covers 16 of them, ranked by mentorship quality, access to real research environments, selectivity, and the opportunity to produce genuine original work.
The highest quality research programs for high school students fall into two categories:
The strongest programs tend to share two qualities: a high degree of student agency in shaping the research direction, and meaningful institutional oversight that ensures academic rigor. Programs run with oversight from universities, government bodies, and established non-profits, with mentorship from experienced faculty, graduate students, or professional researchers, typically possess these qualities, and students receive the closest approximation to what college-level research actually looks like.
To read more about the different types of research programs available, and how they differ from popular “independent mentor-matching” services, read our comprehensive guide on choosing the best research opportunities.
The programs below were selected based on:
REMS, run by the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology, pairs two weeks of coral-reef science instruction with four weeks of team-based, mentored field and lab research on Moku o Loʻe. Student teams conceptualize and carry out a research project alongside an instructor mentor, then leave with college credit and a stipend intended to offset the cost of attending.
For eligible Hawai’i public and public charter school students interested in marine science, REMS offers sustained hands-on learning with research design, fieldwork, laboratory work, and scientific analysis before college.
Pacific STEP-UP, funded by the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, places students in hands-on biomedical sciences, behavioral research, clinical, and related research with mentors at affiliated institutions across Hawai’i and the Pacific Basin.
Students work with an experienced research mentor to design and execute an eight-week summer research project using the scientific method. Its regional network is specifically designed to expand research opportunities for students across Hawai’i and the wider U.S.-affiliated Pacific.
At Pioneer Academics’ Research Institute, students design and lead one-on-one, original research with a university faculty mentor, culminating in a formal paper — not a fixed curriculum or a shared lab bench. Because it’s fully virtual, a student on Kauaʻi has the same access to a Pioneer faculty mentor as a student in New York without needing to travel or relocate for the summer. Its research institute is itself an accredited by Oberlin College, so credits carry an institutional transcript rather than a certificate.
For a full look at admission requirements, cost, and what students actually do in the program, see our comprehensive guide to Pioneer Academics.
NASA SEES puts students on mission-based research teams using NASA data and working with scientists, engineers, and research mentors on aerospace, planetary science, space exploration, remote-sensing, and other Earth and space science projects.
Some projects are fully virtual, making SEES accessible to Hawai’i students who cannot relocate to the mainland, while other projects combine online preparation with a two-week residential internship at the University of Texas at Austin. The program is nationally competitive and NASA-funded, but managed by the University of Texas at Austin Center for Space Research.
The Science and Engineering Apprenticeship Program places students directly inside Department of Navy laboratories, and NIWC Pacific operates one of its participating SEAP sites in Honolulu. Apprentices work alongside scientists and engineers on active naval science and engineering projects for the full eight weeks and receive a $4,000 stipend for first-year participation or $4,500 if returning.
For eligible Hawai’i students, the Honolulu placement offers a way to gain federally sponsored STEM research experience without relocating to the mainland.
Mālama Maunalua’s internship offers students and recent graduates hands-on work on projects ranging from coral and native-algae restoration to green infrastructure and stormwater runoff, education, and community outreach.
Interns select an available project to lead under a staff supervisor or develop their own management proposal and plan, and their final project or product can be used to inform real management decisions in Maunalua Bay. This gives participants a direct connection between field research and real-world marine conservation and management.
The Global Problem-Solving Institute (GPSI) is Pioneer Academics’ 12-week virtual innovation lab, where high school students from grades 8–12 join interdisciplinary teams guided by professors from 16+ colleges and universities to tackle challenges like AI ethics, global health, food security, clean water access, and entrepreneurship.
Rather than working alone, Scholars apply design-thinking and systems-thinking principles collaboratively, then earn accredited college credit through the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. GPSI graduates also receive priority consideration when they apply to the Pioneer Research Institute.
The Hutton Junior Fisheries Biology Program, run by the American Fisheries Society, pairs students with a fisheries or aquatic science professional for eight weeks of hands-on work that can include field research, laboratory analysis, ecosystem restoration, fish sampling, and data analysis.
Hawai’i residents are eligible to apply, and AFS attempts to match selected scholars with a mentor within a 30 to 45 minute commute of their home. However, placement depends on finding a suitable local mentor, so a Hawai’i internship is not guaranteed until that match is secured.
The program offers a $3,000 stipend and direct experience studying marine ecosystems, fisheries science and aquatic resource management for students considering careers in those fields.
George Mason University’s ASSIP pairs students one-on-one with a faculty researcher at George Mason or a collaborating institution, with training opportunities available to both high school and undergraduate students who meet the program’s eligibility requirements.
Student interns contribute to ongoing research in a variety of fields, including astronomy, chemistry, neuroscience, computer science, AI, environmental science, public health, and more, depending on which mentor selects the student for an internship.
For more on its cost structure and acceptance rate, see our full guide to George Mason ASSIP.
MIT PRIMES-USA is a year-long, mentor-guided research program built specifically for students living outside Greater Boston, with participants meeting their academic mentors online and working on unsolved problems in mathematics. It’s a rigorous option for remote students, though the very advanced mathematics expected of applicants will make it a better fit for some students than others.
Our MIT PRIMES-USA participation guide covers admission timing and expectations in more detail.
The UH Cancer Center’s High School Cancer Research Program is a one-week introduction to cancer epidemiology, genomics, public health, behavioral health, and population-science research, taught through presentations, group activities, and hands-on activities led by multidisciplinary Cancer Center faculty.
It isn’t an open application: students are selected or recommended through participating high schools. Rather than completing an independent research project, participants delve in a concentrated, faculty-led introduction to cancer research methods and careers over a single week.
The CIRCLE Grant Summer Research Program, run through the Hawai’i/Pacific Basin Area Health Education Center, lets students conduct distance-based research projects and receive guidance from local mentors and remote research supervisors.
This includes forming a hypothesis, collecting and analyzing data, reading scientific literature, and presenting findings at a scientific symposium. Students are mentored to develop their own research questions, making CIRCLE a genuine research option for students who may not have access to a traditional university lab placement. The program publishes fewer current details on selectivity, scheduling, and eligibility than most others here.
Project Hōkūlani combines STEM enrichment, college-prep support, mentoring, and paid internships at participating STEM worksites across Hawai’i. Internship participants engage in and complete preparatory activities before spending at least 40 hours at their assigned site, where they may join an existing project or research effort or develop a project of their own under a workplace mentor.
Students who complete the internship track can receive up to a $500 stipend. Its combination of enrichment, mentorship, and work-based learning builds a sustained STEM pipeline for students who want more than a single summer’s exposure.
The Hawai’i Pre-Health Career Corps offers year-round mentoring, physician shadowing, research experiences, health-career workshops, standardized-test preparation, and college and career development guidance.
Rather than functioning as a single research internship, PHCC connects students with a broader network of opportunities and support as they explore health careers, helping them tap into Hawai’i’s broader ecosystem of biomedical research excellence. Its year-round mentoring, shadowing, and application support make it a strong complement to a shorter, project-based research program.
The Marine Molecular Mentorship Program is a four-day, three-night residential program at the Hawai’i Institute of Marine Biology built specifically for high school girls considering careers in marine science and STEM.
Participants live on Moku o Loʻe and work with female scientist mentors while gaining hands-on experience with molecular biology techniques, coral science, reef fieldwork, and water-quality testing. The fully funded program also covers travel, ground transportation, lodging, and meals, including airfare for participants from neighbor islands.
Through Pilina ʻĀina, students learn ecological monitoring methods and collect in situ ecosystem data at Puʻu Makaʻala Natural Area Reserve, while also using NEON datasets to develop and investigate their own science questions.
The program blends ecological research and environmental conservation with Hawaiian cultural learning, including the practice of kilo, or careful observation, and students analyze their findings and present a final research project at the end of the academic year.
The current program page describes the course as having launched with AP Biology and Environmental Science juniors and seniors at Hilo High School and does not publish broader statewide eligibility, so students from other schools should contact Pilina ʻĀina to confirm current availability.
With these many opportunities in Hawai’i on one list, right fit depends on what you actually want to do, and for some students, sustained involvement in original research can become a transformative experience. A student who wants to build a sustained piece of original or substantive research, the kind that reads as a real answer to “describe a research experience,” should prioritize REMS, Pacific STEP-UP, or Pioneer Academics’ Research Institute. All three center on a substantial research project, although the level of student ownership differs: Pioneer culminates in an independent project, while Pacific STEP-UP and REMS use closely mentored research models.
A student without reliable transportation to Honolulu, or who lives on a neighbor island, should look first at programs with remote pathways. Pioneer Academics and MIT PRIMES-USA can be completed fully online, while NASA SEES offers fully virtual projects and some George Mason ASSIP mentors offer remote-only internships. The CIRCLE Grant also uses distance research with remote investigators and local mentors, reducing the need for access to a university research lab.
For students still exploring whether research is the right fit, short or flexible-entry options like the UH Cancer Center’s one-week course, MMMP, or Hawai’i Pre-Health Career Corps offer a legitimate first exposure without asking for a full-summer research commitment. The Cancer Center course and MMMP provide short, structured research exposure, while PHCC is a year-round pre-health pipeline that connects students with mentoring, shadowing, research experiences, and other opportunities.
Whichever path a student takes, two useful questions are what valuable skills they will develop, how substantive their role in the research process will be, and how strong the mentorship and institutional oversight are.
The strongest research opportunities for high school students in Hawai’i combine real institutional oversight with substantive student participation in the research process rather than a shorter enrichment format.
Strong in-state options include Research Experiences in Marine Science (REMS), where student teams develop and carry out a mentored marine-science project, and Pacific STEP-UP, where students work with a research mentor to design and execute an eight-week project.
Pioneer Academics’ Research Institute offers a fully virtual alternative with one-on-one professor mentorship, an independently developed research project, and four college credits from Oberlin College. NASA SEES and MIT PRIMES-USA add strong remote options for students interested in Earth and space science or advanced mathematics, respectively.
Start by identifying whether a topic area, such as marine science, biomedical research, math, or environmental science, matters more than program format, since that narrows the list quickly. Hawai’i-based opportunities such as REMS and Pacific STEP-UP accept eligible students without requiring an existing university research connection, while programs such as Pioneer Academics and MIT PRIMES-USA make sustained research possible entirely online.
Students should also look closely at eligibility before applying, since some local programs are restricted by grade, school type, island, citizenship, geographic placement, or prior experience. Participating in local science fairs can also enhance a student’s research experience by providing another opportunity to develop, present, and defend a research project.
Most competitive summer programs open applications months before their start dates, so beginning the search in the fall or early winter of a student’s sophomore or junior year gives enough runway to apply broadly.
Yes, although the funding model varies considerably by program and “free” should not be assumed simply because a program offers a stipend. The Marine Molecular Mentorship Program is fully funded, including travel, lodging, and meals. Paid research internships such as SEAP provide students with a stipend instead of charging them to participate.
Other programs, including REMS and Pacific STEP-UP, provide stipends but do not currently publish enough information to describe the entire program as free. Pioneer Academics and George Mason ASSIP charge tuition, but will offer need-based financial aid to offset program costs.
Pioneer Academics’ Research Institute and MIT PRIMES-USA can both be completed fully online. NASA SEES offers specific fully virtual research projects, and some George Mason ASSIP mentors offer remote-only internships that can be completed from Hawai’i. The CIRCLE Grant Summer Research Program also uses a distance-research model, pairing students with remote investigators and local mentors.
Students should check the exact project format before applying, since SEES and ASSIP also offer in-person or hybrid placements that may require mainland travel.
Pioneer Academics differs from many Hawai’i-based options in that a student works one-on-one with a university professor after an initial seminar phase to develop an original research question and produce a formal research paper rather than joining an existing laboratory project or a short field-based experience.
Students who complete the program receive four college credits directly from Oberlin College and can obtain an official Oberlin transcript. Need-based financial aid is available, and its structure is designed for students who want sustained, individually developed research rather than a shared group project.
Hawai’i students can tap into a surprisingly broad and diverse range of research opportunities, from marine biology field stations and federal laboratories to fully virtual research programs. Not every opportunity on this list involves the same kind of research: some let students develop their own questions, some place students within mentor-defined projects, and several are better understood as research exposure or STEM career enrichment.
The right fit depends on what the student actually wants to do. A strong program should give the student substantive work in the research process, an appropriate level of intellectual ownership, and mentors or institutions capable of providing serious academic oversight.
If you’re interested in conducting the highest level of research for high school students, consider joining a Pioneer information session to learn more about the Pioneer Research Institute.
Based on a recent survey, 71 percent of Pioneer Research scholars’ acceptances were to the top 20 US colleges and universities. Additionally, our alumni report acceptances to highly-selective institutions at a rate five times higher than the school’s published acceptance rate.
If you are a 9th or 10th grader, we encourage you to also check out the Global Problem-Solving Institute. You’ll have the rare opportunity to take an interdisciplinary approach to complex world programs, while earning college credits from UNC-Chapel Hill.
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