SoTS Research Labs
About
SoTS Research Labs is an environment for best research educators focused on the teenage group to create their own virtual lab and support motivated self driven students in their research projects.
Many projects would require experimental work, use of equipment and going to surrounding nature. It is up to students and adults around them to identify resources in their own school, get something from eBay or other sources, and identify opportunities in nature around them.
Who are Lab Directors
We only engage the best of the best in the field of teenage research education.
Our lab directors
- Have deep expertise in their domain
- Demonstrated excellence in pedagogy
- Understand how to do research and how to lead research
- Have direct multi-year experience mentoring teenage students in research
- Have their own vision of how to guide students rooted in years of experience
You may find lab directors with PhD or without PhD. There are multiple paths to become an expert in research education. Traditional PhD programs are only one of the ways to get a foundation. Excellence of leading independent research, teaching, and mentoring has to be acquired and demonstrated through experience.
Pioneers of Research Education
SoTS Lab Directors are more than experienced educators - they are developers of next-generation research education methodologies. Their approaches, refined through years of hands-on practice, represent the cutting edge of how teenagers learn to do real science.
When your child joins a SoTS Lab, they're not getting yesterday's teaching methods - they're participating in educational approaches that are shaping the future of how research skills are taught worldwide.
These methodologies form the foundation for our broader educator development initiatives, including workshops and seminars for SoTS Educators Circle members.
What does it mean to work with the best
SoTS Labs is a space for those who are passionate about what they do in research
- Our Lab Directors are accomplished educators/researchers and are joining to lead students who are curious, active, and engaged
- Students have to demonstrate progress and commitment
- Nobody will force or try to convince students to do anything
- Lab Director has full autonomy on accepting and disenrolling students, assigning or moving students between groups according to their own judgment
- Students have full autonomy on applying or disenrolling from Lab
- Accomplished professionals often demonstrate their own style of thinking and guidance. This may not fit a particular student. There is no expectation for Lab Directors to adjust beyond what they believe is useful for the education process.
- Students may have a lot of experience or no experience at all when they join. What we expect is to see is a committed work and growth
How Labs Work
- Groups — Each lab may have multiple groups (typically 4-6 members). Groups can be similar to each other, or may be different by age, by grade level, sophistication level, etc - on Lab Director discretion
- Weekly group meetings — Typically one hour via Zoom with members of the group and lab director. Students discuss progress, get feedback, learn from others' work, and discuss next steps.
- Projects — Individual or team-based depending on the lab, the project scope, and your capabilities. Some students run solo projects. Others take specialized roles within a team. You may bring your own ideas or join projects formulated by peers in a group. (We don't use students as a labor for mentors' projects)
- Between meetings — Students do the actual work. Research, experimental work, coding, writing, analysis, and more. The AI Research Mentor is available 24/7 to help students addressing various questions to come to group meetings prepared (to get most of the meeting).
- Presentation practice — Regular opportunities to present your work and receive feedback. Essential skill for conferences, future research, and self-assessment.
- Communication — All communications between students and Lab Director, as well as between students within the lab are happening using SoTS provided channels (email, zoom, etc). Zoom meetings may be video recorded and stored in secure location for protection of all parties (legal, IP, etc)
- Prerequisites — Each lab or specific group of a lab may have pre-requisite
SoTS Research Labs vs. Others
| Feature | SoTS Research Labs | Others |
|---|---|---|
| Price | ~$300/session | ~$300/session |
| Mission | Built by educators, researchers, and scientists to enable the best teenage research experience | Primarily focused on producing papers for college admissions |
| Mentor Qualification | Elite research educators with multi-year experience mentoring teens in research | Typically grad students & postdocs (subject experts, not necessarily specialized in teen education) |
| Learning Model | Small group (4-6) with peer learning — weekly feedback, discussion, learning from others' projects | Typically 1:1 sessions — limited peer interaction |
| Project Ownership | Students formulate their own ideas or join projects created by peers | Students often guided toward mentor's research interests |
| AI Support Between Sessions | ✅ Purpose-built AI Research Mentor available 24/7 | ❌ Generic AI only (ChatGPT, etc.) |
| Presentation Skills | ✅ Regular practice built into weekly meetings | ❌ Often limited or extra cost |
| Community | ✅ Multi-year relationships possible — grow with your lab and peers over time | ❌ Typically transactional — fixed program length, then done |
| Accountability | Students must demonstrate commitment — Lab Directors can disenroll students who don't do the work | Students are typically treated as paying clients |
| Publication & Conference Ecosystem | ✅ Peer-reviewed journal, popular science magazine, annual conference (NYC) — all built for teen scientists | ❌ "Showcasing support" often available at extra cost |
| Research Profile | ✅ Documented journey capturing projects, skills, peer reviews, presentations — grows with you | ❌ Typically just a paper or project as output |
| Social Impact | ✅ Your participation funds development of the SoTS ecosystem including multiple resources, initiatives, and AI Research Mentor to make quality research guidance affordable and accessible for all | ❌ None |
What Students can expect
- Direct mentorship support from an experienced Lab Director
- Weekly accountability and honest (no grade inflation) feedback
- Learn from peers working on different projects
- Presentation skills development
- Documented research for your portfolio
- Publication and conference opportunities through SoTS
What's Expected from students
- Active SoTS Membership
- Experience/skills/knowledge matching pre-requisites. Most labs will accept students with no prior research experience
- Show up to weekly meetings prepared
- Do the work between sessions
- Learn independently when directed to resources
- Contribute to peer discussions
- Follow through on commitments
Labs are not courses. No one lectures students. Students work on real problems with support.
Apply
Browse labs above and contact the lab directly, or email labs@teenscientists.org with questions.
Rolling admissions. Space is limited.
Refund policy
- If none of the labs accepted a student (no space available, prerequisite not met, etc) - full refund will be issued.
- If a student is accepted but then disenrolled by the lab director due to not matching expected level of commitment, breaking code of conduct, or similar reason - no refund will be given. Student may apply to a different lab while subscription for Labs is still valid
- If student has a change of mind and disenrolls voluntarily - no refund will be given
Current Labs
No labs available at this time.
More labs coming soon. Interested in mentoring a lab? Contact us.