Updated October 2026
TL;DR
The Harvard-Smithsonian Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) is a year-long astrophysics research program at the Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You work in a team of two or three with a researcher from September to May, and you present your results at a symposium hosted by Harvard. It is free; a City of Cambridge stipend pays you, and only 10 to 16 people join each year. SRMP is open only if you attend Cambridge Rindge & Latin School (CRLS), and the next application dates are TBA (the last deadline was May 29, 2026). If you do not attend CRLS and want a research project with a professor or PhD mentor, you can explore the Horizon Academic Research Program.
The Harvard-Smithsonian Science Research Mentoring Program (SRMP) offers eligible high school students a chance to explore astrophysics through a year-long research experience. Hosted at the Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the program involves working in a small team with a researcher, investigating a scientific question, and presenting your findings at the end of the program.
If you are considering SRMP, you will need to understand its school-specific eligibility requirements, application timeline, weekly commitment, and stipend. This guide walks you through these details and the application process. You can also compare other opportunities in our guide to free research mentorship programs for high school students.
Who can join SRMP?
You can join only if you attend Cambridge Rindge & Latin School. The SRMP site states that participation is exclusive to CRLS, a choice the program made after talking with the Harvard Ed Portal, the Cambridge STEAM Initiative, CRLS teachers, and the program’s co-directors. The program wants to keep support high for every mentor and mentee, and it hopes to expand later.
You also need a clear interest in astrophysics or a related science, and you need to commit to the full academic year. The application is free. The program lists the grades that can apply in each year’s application, so check the current application page before you plan.
When is the SRMP application due?
SRMP takes applications once a year in late spring. The dates below come from the current application page.
| Detail | Information |
| Location | Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, Massachusetts |
| Length | September to May |
| Cohort size | 10-16 students each year |
| Who can apply | CRLS only |
| Cost | Free |
| Pay | A stipend from the City of Cambridge |
| Application deadline | TBA (May 29, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET) |
| Interviews | TBA (June 8 and 9, 2026) |
| Final decisions | TBA (June 10, 2026) |
| Mentors | Postdoctoral fellows, astrophysicists, and PhD students in astronomy |
What does the SRMP year look like?
You meet with your team and mentor every week, and you attend a monthly advisory session with the SRMP team to check your progress. Mentors work with small groups of two or three people, so you get steady attention. Mentoring happens in person at the Center for Astrophysics and can also happen online, and the program runs inside the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.
| When | What happens |
| Late spring | You apply, interview, and hear a decision (TBA; the last cycle ran May 29 to June 10, 2026) |
| September | Your team meets its mentor and picks a project |
| Every week | Team meetings with your mentor |
| Every month | Advisory sessions, workshops, and lectures |
| Spring | A hands-on astronomy lecture series at CRLS |
| March | A community telescope building workshop |
| End of the year | You present talks and posters at a symposium hosted by Harvard |
The spring lecture series runs in partnership with the CRLS Aerospace Engineering and Astronomy Club, and astrophysicists from the center lead each session. Every activity takes two weeks: you read background material in week one, and the speaker visits school in week two for a lecture and hands-on activity.
Topics include observational astronomy, lenses, mirrors and telescopes, journals and databases, and an introduction to coding with Python. In March, the center’s education department and CRLS teachers host a community workshop where you help the public build Galileoscopes.
What kinds of projects do teams work on?
Your project depends on which mentors are in the program that year. Past teams have used data from NASA’s TESS satellite and found four new exoplanets around a star. Others have studied white dwarf stars like WD 1145+017, simulated the motion of material around massive black holes, and used machine learning to improve how galaxy surveys choose their targets. You can watch past symposium talks on the SRMP site.
You may not get to choose your topic, so go in curious about more than one area.
How much does SRMP pay?
SRMP costs nothing, and the City of Cambridge provides a stipend for your work through the year. The program does not publish the amount. If you need to compare it with a summer job, ask the program for the current figure when you interview.
Is SRMP competitive?
SRMP is competitive. It takes 10 to 16 people a year, from one school, and the program does not publish an acceptance rate. Because you work next to researchers at a major astrophysics center, a seat carries weight on a college application. Small teams also mean your mentor expects you to do real work, so a spot comes with responsibility.
What skills do you build?
You join an ongoing project and learn the habits of a researcher. Depending on your mentor, you can learn to:
- Read scientific papers and connect them to your project
- Write code, often in Python, and use research software
- Analyze data and check whether a result holds up
- Design experiments or analysis steps
- Present talks and posters
- Manage your time, work in a team, and talk with mentors
- Work on your own once you know what to do next
Eight Tips To Get into SRMP
- Check that you attend CRLS. The program is closed to other schools, so confirm this first.
- Look at the dates before May. The application sits on the apply page each spring, and the program does not review incomplete applications. Put the deadline in your calendar now.
- Read about the work. Watch a past symposium on the SRMP site so you can say which projects interest you and why.
- Show curiosity, not credentials. You do not need a research record. Describe a question about space or science that you tried to answer, even if it was small.
- Name the skills you want to learn. Python, data analysis, and reading papers all show up in projects, so say which one you want to build.
- Plan your year. SRMP runs from September to May with weekly meetings, so look at your classes, sports, and jobs and show that you can commit.
- Prepare for the interview. Past cycles included interviews in early June, so practice explaining what interests you and how you handle a problem that does not work.
- Finish early. Submit a few days before the deadline so a technical problem does not cost you a spot.
For help building a research profile in any field, read our guide on how to get into a top high school research program.
What do past members say?
Past teams say they built strong coding skills, liked working on real problems, and found the work interesting even when it was hard. Some joined knowing what they wanted to study, and others used the year to try astrophysics or choose between interests.
The SRMP site links to symposium videos, and the STEAM Rises podcast has two episodes about the program: one with former co-director Daniel Yahalomi on youth mentorship in STEM, and one with Jean Dao of the Harvard Ed Portal on building pathways to equity in STEM.
What are the pros and cons?
Pros
- Real research: You work on actual astrophysics with professional scientists.
- Close mentorship: Mentors guide teams of two or three, so you get regular feedback.
- Strong for college applications: A year of research with a major center shows commitment.
- Pay and access: You earn a stipend and use professional tools and software.
- Topics beyond school: You explore subjects that do not appear in a typical high school course.
Cons
- One school only: Only CRLS attendees can apply.
- Few seats: The program takes 10 to 16 people a year.
- Limited choice: Your topic depends on which mentors are available.
- A big time commitment: Weekly meetings and deadlines run all year, so balance them with your classes.
Is SRMP right for you?
If you attend CRLS, want to work toward STEM in college, and like to stay with one question for months, SRMP offers something hard to find in most high schools. You learn methods, spend time with mentors, and see how scientific work really happens. The commitment is long, and the weekly work can feel heavy if your schedule is full or you prefer short programs.
If you attend another school, you have other ways to find year-long research. Our lists of paid STEM internships for high school students and year-long physics programs for high school students are good places to start.
One more option: the Horizon Academic Research Program
If you want a competitive, mentored research program in areas like political theory, data science, machine learning, biology, or chemistry, consider the Horizon Academic Research Program. It is a selective online program where you do advanced research and write a paper on a topic of your choice.
Questions to ask before you apply to SRMP
No. You need interest and curiosity, not a research record. Many people join with no experience and learn the tools from their mentor.
It depends. Mentoring happens in person at the Center for Astrophysics and can also happen virtually. Ask your mentor how your team will meet.
Yes. The SRMP site links to videos of past symposia, where teams present their talks and posters. Watching a few helps you choose which projects to talk about in your application.
Yes. You can join other mentored programs that accept applicants from any school, including online options. If you want to design your own project with a professor or PhD mentor and finish a research paper, you can explore the Horizon Academic Research Program.
Image source: Science Research Mentoring Program