Opportunities
These opportunities focus on those available to American students attending U.S high schools and Universities as these are the ones I am familliar with. Feel free to suggest additions in the Discord, especially if you have any information on opportunities available to international students.
Research Fellowship at National Institute of Standards and Technology
Award: $10,000 - $20,000
Acceptance rate: 20% - 50%
Criteria: Incomming and Current Undergraduate
Assist with cutting-edge research at NIST working alongside a mentor at the laboratories in either Gaithersburg, Maryland or Boulder, Colorado. The program lasts for 11 weeks over the summer. Students can work one of 6 labs: Communications Technology Laboratory (CTL), Engineering Laboratory (EL), Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), Material Measurement Laboratory (MML), NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR), and Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML). If you're looking for Physics related research, look into NCNR or MML. I would recommend dorming with others and looking for AirBnB or similar housing to reduce costs.
Apply for NIST Gaithersburg or NIST Boulder.
Research Experience for Undergraduates
Award: ~$5,000
Acceptance rate: Varies
Criteria: Undergraduate
This is a collection of programs offered by various research universities to allow students to visit and conduct research with professors. Use the NSF tool to search for an REU or browse by subject. REUs are useful for building connections and networking; building connections a university greatly improves your success rate in applying to their graduate program.
Oak Ridge National Labs Internship
Award: Varies
Acceptance rate: Varies
Criteria: Highschool - Graduate
Various internship programs at ORNL in Tennessee focused on physics and math education. Contains many options for fundamental physics experimental research for undergraduates.
Goldwater Scholarship
Award: $7,500 - $15,000
Acceptance rate: ~30%
Criteria: 2nd or 3rd year Undergraduate
Research Scholarship to award undergraduates for excellence in academics. Speak to your university's office of nationally competitive awards to apply. The application includes a personal statement about your experiences and goals, as well as a research proposal or a write-up of previous research.
Astronaut Scholarship
Award: $15,000 (per year awarded)
Acceptance rate: 20% - 30%
Criteria: 2nd or 3rd year Undergraduate
Despite its name, this is not a scholarship for Astronauts. It is a competitive research scholarship similar to Goldwater. Speak to your university's office of nationally competitive awards to apply. Application requires an academic resume and a personal statement.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship
Award: $138,000
Acceptance rate: 16%
Criteria: Sciences Major, 4th year Undergrad - 1st year Graduate
Research Fellowship for students pursuing PhD in a Sciences field. Very high value scholarship, especially given the relatively high acceptance rate. Refrence letters required. Apply prior to applying to grad schools in October, the GRFP award will be announced in around March - April, which may be early enough to leverage the GRFP to gain admissions into wait-listed graduate schools.
National Merit Scholarship
Award: $2500 + Full ride to many Universities
Acceptance rate: 1.5%
Criteria: High School
Students have the opportunity to take the PSAT during the third year of high school. The top 8000 scores are considered for the National Merit Scholarship. While the amount awarded is relatively small, many schools will offer full rides (tuition + room) for students named National Merit Finalists.