Young scientists program
The Young Scientists program, founded by Institute of Child Development Professor Melissa Koenig, aims to educate high school students in developmental psychology and foster their interest in scientific research and discovery.
who we are
We are a group of scientists who research human psychology from the University of Minnesota. We introduce high school students to developmental science, and help students conduct their own research project about human development.
Developmental scientists study how people grow up. How you change from when you’re a baby to when you’re an adult. We look at how children play, how they think, and we use fun games to understand these things!
Developmental scientists ask questions like...
What do kids know about size and shape?
What do kids know when they are babies and what do they learn over time?
If you sign up to participate, you will..
- Learn about developmental science experiments
- Design and conduct your own experiment
- Create a poster to show what you found
- Present your poster at the end of the year
The Young Scientist Program is currently accepting applications for the 2020-21 school year.
The program runs from November 2020 through April 2021. Participating students are paired with a University of Minnesota PhD or Postdoctoral mentor, who will help students complete a research project related to human development. Our online learning modules help students identify a research topic, design an experiment, and interpret their findings.
Are you a high school student who wants to get involved?
Sign up to participate in the Young Scientists Program.
Contact us at YoungScientists@umn.edu with any questions.