Inspirit AI Reviews: Hear from Inspirit AI 1:1 AI + X Mentorship Alums Accepted to Top Science Fairs and Academic Journals
Inspirit AI 1:1 AI + X Mentorship alums share their perspectives on their experience in the AI research program. As alums of the program, these students discuss their AI learning journeys — providing valuable insight into their success stories in getting their work published at top science fairs and in academic and scientific journals.
Harvard Admissions Officer Shares How to Showcase an Inspirit AI Project in College Applications
In this interactive webinar, Justin Neiman, a former Harvard admissions officer and academic dean at Stanford, will discuss why independent research is so valuable in college admissions and help you translate your Inspirit AI experiences into compelling college applications.
Justin Neiman is a college admissions strategist and the founder of Selective Admissions, an education advising firm dedicated to helping students navigate the competitive landscape of college admissions. As a former Admissions Officer at Harvard University and Assistant Dean at Stanford University, Justin provides a unique perspective on how students can stand out in the college application process. He holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from Stanford University.
Bliss’ AI Research Journey: From Passion Project to Regeneron ISEF to the IEE Conference to University of Pennsylvania
When Bliss joined the Inspirit AI + X 1:1 Mentorship Program, she was eager to dive deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence and epilepsy and seizure prevention/prediction. After exploring several ideas with her mentor, she landed on a project titled Unveiling Intractable Epileptogenic Brain Networks with Independent Component Analysis and Deep Learning: A Novel and Comprehensive Framework for Scalable Seizure Prediction in Unimodal Neuroimaging Data in Pediatric Patients.
Bliss chose this topic because of her long-standing interest in epilepsy and seizure prevention/prediction, and wanted to explore how AI could drive real-world impact in this field.
“The most valuable part of the Inspirit AI program was the regular meetings, which kept me accountable and ensured steady progress on my project. Having a structured schedule helped me stay engaged and actively working. Additionally, the guidance from my mentor was invaluable, providing clear advice whenever I faced challenges. The combination of consistent check-ins and expert mentorship made the experience both productive and rewarding.”
Read more about Bliss’ review of the Inspirit AI program here.
Prashanth Venkatesh, Published in Curieux Academic Journal
“The ability to have focused guidance in writing and structuring a research project was essential to the success of my paper. Without the program, I would have faced many structuring errors and overall would struggle in the writing of the paper. Inspirit AI’s program allowed me to smoothly publish a research paper and get to understand the process of doing the same.”
Read about Prashanth’s experience here.
Suhaan’s AI Research Journey: From AI Passion Project to Texas Science and Engineering Fair
When Suhaan joined the Inspirit AI + X 1:1 Mentorship Program, he was eager to dive deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence and astrophysics. After exploring several ideas with his mentor, he landed on a project titled “Utilizing Artificial Intelligence in Gravitational Microlensing Detection: A novel study to enhance dark matter findings.”
Suhaan chose this topic because of his long-standing interest in dark matter research, and wanted to explore how AI could drive real-world impact in this field.
“I came upon this research question when I read a paper published in 1936 by Einstein where he said, "There is no hope of ever detecting dark matter phenomena". Intrigued, I explored and soon found an interest in dark matter research. My project utilizes Artificial Intelligence for gravitational microlensing detection to detect dark matter. Essentially I trained an AI model to analyze light curves of a star to be able determine if a theoretical dark matter object might have been present at a certain point and time. Through my research, I hope astrophysicists in the future can learn more about dark matter, its composition, and the Big Bang Theory.”
“I think the most valuable part of my research project was learning how to do an effective literature review. Reading past papers and finding a gap in preexisting studies is something that is useful not just for my project, but also for every future project I wish to conduct.”
Read more about Suhaan’s review of the Inspirit AI program here.
Grant Lau, Journal of High School Science
“For me, the most valuable part of the 1:1 mentorship program was that it was 1:1. Just me and my mentor’s undivided attention during meetings. This really allowed us to cover everything we needed to talk about in order progress our project.
Additionally, the my mentor from Inspirit’s 1:1 mentorship program has been much more helpful in terms of providing resources and structuring the progression of my project compared to other mentorship programs I’ve tried.”
Read more about Grant’s experience here.
Sophie’s AI Research Journey: From Passion Project to Florida Science and Engineering Fair
For Sophie, the most valuable part of the 1:1 Mentorship Program was building a relationship with her mentor.
Working closely with a PhD mentor from Caltech, Sophie gained not only technical knowledge but also the confidence to ask bold questions, iterate on ideas, and learn from failures. The structured yet flexible nature of the program helped her go from concept to publication-ready research in just a few months.
When Sophie joined the Inspirit AI + X 1:1 Mentorship Program, she was eager to dive deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence and astronomy. After exploring several ideas with their mentor, she landed on a project titled Finding the Next Habitable Planet: Novel Machine Learning Approaches for Exoplanet Discovery and Habitability.
“I am working on detecting exoplanets, specifically using ML to detect white dwarf stars with exoplanetary debris around them. I’ve always been intrigued by exoplanets and the possibility of life beyond Earth, so I knew I wanted my topic to be around exoplanets and habitability. My project had 2 parts because my first part was more general where I was analyzing the relationship between the exoplanet and its host star using confirmed exoplanet data, while the 2nd part I was actually making my own discoveries around a certain type of extreme star: white dwarves. My topic got more nuanced as I gained more experience.”
Read more about Sophie’s review of the Inspirit AI program here.
Dylan Po, California Science and Engineering Fair
“I decided to have sleep apnea as my project topic due to the fact that it is an issue personal to me, my family and my friends. I have heard and experienced the arduous process of sleep apnea diagnosis and sleep tests, so my goal was to use machine learning as a reliable, cost-effective alternative that can provide more people with earlier diagnosis so that they can treat it faster.”
Read more about Dylan’s review of the Inspirit AI program here.
Jaymin’s AI Research Journey: From Passion Project to Princeton University Science Fair Winner
“I worked on a computational astrophysics project titled, ‘Multi-wavelength Classification of Active and Star-forming Galaxies on the BPT Diagram with Supervised Machine Learning Models.’ Essentially, it takes two kinds of galaxies and improves upon the current standard in astronomy by using new data and machine learning to classify.
As I had previously been interested in astrophysics before starting this project and had done multiple research projects before, I was able to discuss with my mentor and come up with a topic in high-energy astrophysics based on newly released data and his experience in the field.”
When Jaymin joined the Inspirit AI + X 1:1 Mentorship Program, he was eager to dive deep into the intersection of artificial intelligence and astrophysics. After exploring several ideas with his mentor, he landed on a project titled Multi-wavelength Classification of Active and Star-forming Galaxies on the BPT Diagram with Supervised Machine Learning Models.
Jaymin chose this topic because of his long-standing interest in astronomy, and wanted to explore how AI could drive real-world impact in this field.
His project has since earned Jaymin recognition in several prestigious venues. His work was accepted into the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, AAS 245 & APS Global Physics Summit, and even won the 2024 Princeton University Science Fair, showcasing his contribution to cutting-edge high school research.
Beyond the accolades, the experience gave Jaymin a major confidence boost in his academic journey. Next year, he will be attending Princeton University and will continue exploring the intersection of AI and astronomy through further research and coursework.
Read more about Jaymin’s review of the Inspirit AI program here.
Aaisha’s AI Research Journey: From Passion Project to Pennsylvania Science and Engineering Fair
For Aaisha, the most valuable part of the 1:1 Mentorship Program was building a strong relationship with her mentor.
Working closely with a PhD mentor from Caltech, Aaisha gained not only technical knowledge but also the confidence to ask bold questions, iterate on ideas, and learn from failures. The structured yet flexible nature of the program helped her go from concept to publication-ready research in just a few months.
The project Astronomical Redshift and Machine Learning: Determining Age of Supermassive Black Holes has since earned Aaisha recognition in several prestigious venues. Her work was accepted into the Pittsburgh Regional Science and Engineering Fair and she even won first place award at Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science Fair, showcasing their contribution to cutting-edge high school research.
Beyond the accolades, the experience gave Aaisha a major confidence boost in her academic journey.
“The best part was the connections I made. My mentor is a student at CalTech and being able to talk to someone who attends my dream school is really great. Also, the applications that my project had was very useful. I used my project for a journal submission and multiple science fairs.”
Read more about Aaisha’s review of the Inspirit AI program here.
About the Inspirit AI 1:1 AI + X Mentorship Program
The Inspirit AI 1:1 AI + X Mentorship Program is a personalized research experience designed for ambitious high school students interested in exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and their unique areas of interest—ranging from medicine and neuroscience to climate science, economics, and beyond.
Students are paired with expert mentors from top institutions like Stanford, MIT, and Harvard, who guide them step-by-step through the process of designing, developing, and writing a publication-ready AI research project. The program equips students with both the technical skills and research mindset needed to produce original work, with the ultimate goal of submitting their projects to top high school journals, science fairs, and competitions.
The Value of Building an AI Research Project as a High Schooler
Publishing a research project as a high school student offers a powerful opportunity to stand out academically, demonstrate initiative, and showcase a deep commitment to learning beyond the classroom. It not only strengthens college applications by highlighting intellectual curiosity and advanced problem-solving skills, but also gives students experience with real-world scientific communication and academic rigor.
Whether submitted to a peer-reviewed journal or a high school research publication, having published work signals to universities and scholarship committees that a student is capable of producing meaningful, original contributions to their field of interest—something few high schoolers can claim.
Ready to turn your passion into a published AI research project? Apply to the Inspirit AI 1:1 AI + X Mentorship Program today and work one-on-one with expert mentors from top universities to bring your ideas to life. Spots are limited—take the first step toward making your mark in the world of AI research!
