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Hi. I am currently a rising sophomore and frequent these boards cuz you people do a lot of amazing stuff. Anyway, I like doing research, but often my research isn't very organized. I am doing stuff like designing a new programming language and it's compiler, working on an attempt to model the brain, developing a chess engine. Most of my research is in CS. Do you guys have any suggestions as to something more I can research? Note: research often distracts me from normal life, as I kinda sorta get obsessed with it... back to that Chess Engine!!!

By Abrandel05 (Abrandel05) on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 02:21 am: Edit

Sure you can do research, but i would recommend finding a mentor in your local area. To be honest, you really cant do valid research without someone to help you for the most part, if for no other reason then the resources. I can speak to the brain modelling, as i have spent 5 years in 3 neuroscience labs, and devoted myself to it. There is no way you will be making any real model of the brain without help. Even then, its going to be a little difficult for a high school student to provide a novel and useful model, but if its something your interested in, you most definately can become involved in it. You should contact local professors who are doing work you are interested in and see if you can get into their Labs to learn and do work. Let me know if you need anymore help or you can email me (just put something in the subject line so i know) Hope that helps

By Vecter (Vecter) on Sunday, August 08, 2004 - 04:58 am: Edit

as an aside, have you tried USACO?

www.usaco.org

USA Computing Olympiad (not related to research at all, but it may pique your interest. I only wish I had learned about it BEFORE my senior year )