In biology research, students will learn how to use scientific methods to verify hypotheses and how to explore the complexity of life through experiments. This practice not only deepens their understanding of biological concepts but also helps them establish an interdisciplinary perspective and recognize the interconnection between biology and other disciplines such as chemistry and physics. In addition, report writing and presentations in the research process exercise their communication skills, enabling them to express their ideas more effectively.

More importantly, biology research allows students to prepare for their future academic or professional careers in high school. Whether they continue their studies or enter the workplace, this experience can provide them with valuable capital. Through research, students can demonstrate their independence and innovation, which are qualities valued by higher education institutions and future employers.

How do I choose a biology research topic for high school?

To create a good research project, you need to start with a good idea! For those who are interested in biology research, you may try the following methods to choose a suitable biology research topic:

Method 1. Start with interest

First, choose an area that you are interested in. Biology is a broad subject that covers everything from genetics to ecology. If you are particularly interested in a specific biological phenomenon or problem, this will be a good starting point.

Method 2. Evaluate your strengths

Consider the areas in which you performed best in your biology courses. Was it cell biology, genetics, ecology, or biotechnology? Choosing a topic that matches your strengths will help you explore and understand more deeply.

Method 3. Determine the scope of your research

Choose a topic that is neither too broad nor too narrow. A topic that is too broad may make it difficult for you to go deep, while a topic that is too narrow may limit your research. For example, if you are interested in ecosystems, you can start by studying the biodiversity of a specific ecosystem.

Method 4. Sources of Inspiration

Inspiration can come from classroom learning, scientific news, or even observations in daily life. For example, if you are interested in how plants adapt to environmental changes, you can start by studying how different plants respond to climate change.

Method 5. Use online resources

Use Internet resources to expand your knowledge. Websites such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and ResearchGate are great places to get the latest research and academic papers. These resources can help you understand current research trends and unresolved problems.

Method 6. Consult teachers and experts

Discuss your ideas with your biology teacher or members of the science club at school. Their suggestions and feedback can help you define your research question more clearly.

In addition, you can also seek online one-on-one guidance from Embark mentors, who will assess students' situations, customize scientific research, and provide scientific research guidance, opening the door for students to conduct scientific research exploration.

What kind of biology research can high schoolers do?

In this subject-specific list, we present 10 research possibilities in biology for high school students.

1. Research and optimization of regional-specific human brain organoid protocols

Human brain organoids are 3D tissues cultured from pluripotent stem cells, whose cell types and structures are similar to those of the embryonic human brain. By adding molecular signals, brain organoids can stimulate brain development in different regions and show great potential in reproducing human neurodevelopment. The goal of this project is to study the basic experimental protocols for generating brain organoids from stem cells, collect and compare protocol data, and try to optimize the existing experimental protocols for generating regional-specific brain organoids.

2. Inference of intercellular communication in human bone marrow based on single-cell RNA sequencing data

Single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) is a rapidly developing technology that allows people to obtain transcriptional information at the cellular level. Cell-to-cell communication mediated by receptor-ligand complexes plays a key role in coordinating various cellular decisions, such as cell cycle and apoptosis. This cell-to-cell communication can be inferred by analyzing gene expression levels in single-cell RNA sequencing data. This project aims to propose the application of CellChat, a comprehensive tool for inferring intercellular communication, to explore receptor-ligand interactions and information pathways in a person's bone marrow single-cell RNA sequencing data.

3. Network analysis of sleep and depression during the COVID-19 pandemic

More than one-third of the population has varying degrees of sleep problems, and sleep disorders are a risk factor for depression. Clarifying the relationship between different sleep problems and depressive symptoms plays a major role in clarifying the cause and intervention. This study uses open-source data to study the relationship between daily sleep and depression in the early stages of the pandemic. Students will learn to use unsupervised learning methods to distinguish types of sleep disorders and use network analysis to explore the relationship between different sleep problems and depressive symptoms.

4. Computer Vision-Medical Image Analysis

Medical Image Analysis is an interdisciplinary field that integrates medical imaging, mathematical modeling, digital image processing and analysis, artificial intelligence, and numerical algorithms. Researchers convert medical simulation images into digital images, conduct computer-assisted diagnosis, and use image processing and machine learning algorithms to process and analyze images to improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency. The main tasks of medical image analysis include image classification, segmentation, target detection, and image enhancement.

5. Computer Vision - Head CT Scan

Head computed tomography (CT) is the main non-invasive diagnostic method for head trauma and related complications. Automated head trauma detection algorithms can provide clinicians with diagnostic advice, help improve medical quality, and save a lot of labor. In this project, we will use computer vision (CV) technology to identify key findings of head CT, such as intracerebral hemorrhage, skull fracture, etc.

6. Plant growth status detection device

Plant cultivation in different environments requires consideration of a large number of environmental factors, such as local light conditions, plant nutrient intake, etc. The innovation of this project is to build a plant analysis device based on the physical principle of spectral detection through open-source hardware platforms such as Arduino or Raspberry Pi to detect the growth status of plants, thereby providing scientific theoretical advice to growers.

7. Thermococcus archaeal protease

Proteases can break down some proteins into smaller peptide chains or single amino acids, so proteases are of particular importance to cell life. The diversity of proteases and the specificity of their hydrolytic activity make them important commercial enzymes in industrial production fields such as detergents, food, and leather. Since high physical and chemical stability is required, proteases with high heat resistance are preferred. This project will study the acquisition of a protease and conduct activity characteristics research.

8. Single-cell data analysis based on machine learning technology

This project focuses on how to analyze single-cell data through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technology to automatically classify single-cell data. Single-cell data has the characteristics of large sparsity and high dimensionality. It is particularly important to design a suitable machine-learning algorithm to effectively analyze single-cell data.

9. Squalane-chemotherapeutic drug conjugates use endogenous lipoproteins to achieve cancer-targeted drug delivery: molecular dynamics study

Nucleoside analogs are widely used in clinical practice to treat various solid tumors. However, their anticancer activity is severely limited, such as short biological half-life due to rapid blood metabolism and intracellular diffusion. This project will focus on the chemical modeling of several candidate drugs and use molecular dynamics simulations to reveal the enhanced distribution of drugs in lipoproteins.

10. Exploring the cause of Alzheimer's disease

The mainstream view in academia once believed that beta-amyloid deposition was the cause/symptom of Alzheimer's disease, but recently some new reports have proposed new possible causes. We will summarize and analyze the new causes of Alzheimer's disease proposed in the past year, and pay attention to related signaling pathways or targets to explore and verify the real possible causes of Alzheimer's disease.

11. Exploring the factors affecting the participation of low-income people in urban China in cervical cancer screening

Study the participation of low-income people in urban China in cervical cancer screening and its obstacles. Comprehensively explore the specific obstacles that affect this group in participating in cervical cancer screening. This study will provide a reference for promoting the participation of low-income people in urban China in screening, and provide an empirical basis for relevant governments to design targeted screening projects.

12. Food and medicine - the concept of diet therapy in the study of Chinese medical history

This course takes "food" and "medicine" in Chinese medical history as the starting point, and conducts in-depth research on the cultural practice of diet therapy from the perspective of material culture. In the next few weeks, students will read the records of drug efficacy in ancient herbal classics and the content of food therapy in traditional health books; on the other hand, they will understand the impact of the introduction of modern Western nutrition knowledge on Chinese food therapy culture.

13. Multimodal joint learning and cutting-edge cross-application

As an important direction in the field of artificial intelligence, multimodal information processing aims to effectively integrate and cross-analyze data from different sources to obtain deeper and more comprehensive knowledge.

This topic will focus on the cutting-edge technology of multimodal information fusion and how to apply these technologies to cross-cutting frontier fields such as pre-training large models and zero-shot learning.

14. Does obesity have an impact on adolescent mathematical ability?

Adolescence is crucial for the development of mathematical skills. However, studies have shown that obese adolescents may perform poorly in mathematical learning. Does obesity hurt adolescent mathematical ability? Data from 62 adolescents were obtained from the OpenNeuro database, half of whom were obese and the other half were non-obese. Our research will focus on these data.

How to participate in biology research studies as a high school student?

As a high school student, it is not difficult to participate in biology research. If you have a solid foundation in biology, you can conduct research with your classmates, combine your knowledge, and apply it to real projects, which is not only challenging but also an unforgettable experience.

Even if you don't have a comprehensive knowledge of biology, but are interested in it and want to put your ideas into practice, Embark mentors can help. The mentor will first communicate with you online to understand your ideas and use professional assessments to determine whether you have the potential to conduct biological research. If you meet the requirements, the mentor will provide customized scientific research guidance based on your situation, allowing you to fully develop your passion for biology within a few months.You can click here to get help

In short, biological research is not as difficult as it seems. The key is to take the first step. When you take this step, you are already halfway to success. The next step is to persevere.