Mentorship
Partner with motivated high‑school researchers who produce work at a truly pre‑collegiate level.

Program at a Glance
  • Three‑year, college‑level sequence where students design and complete independent, mentored research.
  • Selective, structured, and outcomes‑driven: students undergo formal training in literature review, experimental design, statistics, ethics, and scientific communication.
  • Competition‑ready: students prepare manuscripts, posters, and talks for regional, state, and national venues (e.g., WESEF, JSHS, Regeneron ISEF/STS).
  • Faculty‑advised + mentor‑guided: school‑based instruction is paired with external mentorship to achieve professional‑quality results.
 
Why Mentor with Somers Science Research?
  • Exceptional talent & commitment: students self‑select into a rigorous multi‑year program and sustain weekly research milestones.
  • Professional standards: projects follow ISEF rules & ethics and align with institutional IRB/IACUC/IBC requirements when applicable.
  • Meaningful impact: mentors help shape early careers while advancing real work. Students can contribute to ongoing studies, literature syntheses, method development, software tools, or data analysis pipelines.
  • Low‑friction collaboration: we handle logistics, school‑home coordination, safety training, and competition paperwork so mentors can focus on the science.
 
Our Track Record (Highlights)
  • Students regularly publish or submit abstracts, present at competitive fairs, and earn recognitions across disciplines (biology, chemistry, physics, CS, engineering, psychology, environmental science, and more).
  • Alumni advance to top universities and STEM programs, often continuing with their mentors or research groups.
  • The program is widely respected in the regional science‑fair ecosystem; students’ work is known for technical rigor and clear scientific communication.
 
What Mentors Can Expect
  • Role: Provide domain expertise, periodic feedback, and access to datasets, code, protocols, or instrumentation as appropriate to your lab or group.
  • Time: This varies depending on the mentor's availability and the nature of the research. Typically, check-ins will occur at least once every two weeks. During the height of research, the intensity/frequency of meetings may increase. 
  • Outputs: Drafted abstracts, figures/tables, analysis notebooks, posters, and, where appropriate, manuscripts or conference submissions.
  • Professional conduct: Students and families are able to sign codes of conduct and, if needed, confidentiality/IP agreements consistent with your institution’s policies.
 
What We Provide
  • Selection & preparation: Students complete preparatory modules (reviewing literature, basic statistics, methods, technical writing, presentation creation, and research integrity).
  • Project management: Students are enrolled in a daily course for them to work on Science Research related coursework and will meet for an 1-on-1 independent project evaluation with their teacher at least once a month to assess progress and develop future goals.
  • Compliance & safety: We coordinate ISEF paperwork and align with mentor‑institution approvals (IRB/IACUC/IBC/Biosafety) when required.
  • Communication: We centralize scheduling, documentation, and deadlines; mentors can alway receive support from the teachers in the classroom if necessary.
 
Typical Timeline (Guided but Flexible)  
Contact
 
Dr. William Maelia, Director — Somers Science Research
Somers High School, Lincolndale, NY
Email: [email protected]

 
We welcome mentors from academia, industry, hospitals/clinics, national labs, and nonprofits. Let’s explore a student‑aligned project scope and collaboration model that fits your lab’s goals and bandwidth.

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