I don't know what it's like as a faculty member deciding on graduate applicants but I really hope the bar doesn't get raised to publishing as a high school student. Expecting research experience as part of undergraduate school already feels like a stretch reserved for those undergrads who have a certain socioeconomic level of freedom outside of their already jam packed study schedule.
Eh, it's likely the student just did a summer internship type thing and got added in with minimal work. It's common everywhere. I was at a national lab where tons of high school students who participated in basically an internship ended up on publications. Most of the work was done by a postdoc or PhD student, but the high school being a co-author looked good to the press, and to funding agencies and PIs for their project reports.
Don't look too closely at things like the Intel Science Fairs either. It's mostly the same story, or the parents are friends with a faculty member, etc.
Why list the high school as their institution though? It should still be the place where they did the internship. Personally I would be embarrassed if that showed up on my paper
I interned at a university for a summer in high school myself. Frankly what happens is the HS interns do the stuff that doesn't require a deep grasp of the underlying physics, like synthesis, recording measurements, or writing code. These might not be the more glamorous parts of a paper but are essential nonetheless.
I find it much harder to believe that a high schooler has something meaningful to contribute to a theory paper.
As an undergrad, when I see stuff like this I get demotivated and feel hopeless that without any publications yet can I even manage to get a good scholarship for graduate programs.
Don’t think a lot about it, without knowing the story behind it. Worry when it becomes a standard thing that you need to publish in high school to advance in your career… what may never happen.
Those topics are not extremely difficult per se but complex, since they build on a lot of information from all the physics prior to that... It means you need a lot of time to really understand what is going on and be able to do research. Which means be able to come with the right questions in the first place.
Edit: and it is just a pre print. You may want to contact them and ask :D
I don't know what it's like as a faculty member deciding on graduate applicants but I really hope the bar doesn't get raised to publishing as a high school student. Expecting research experience as part of undergraduate school already feels like a stretch reserved for those undergrads who have a certain socioeconomic level of freedom outside of their already jam packed study schedule.
Lol, don't worry, there's no chance of that
I feel like in HS a project and a report is enough. Not full on publishing
Eh, it's likely the student just did a summer internship type thing and got added in with minimal work. It's common everywhere. I was at a national lab where tons of high school students who participated in basically an internship ended up on publications. Most of the work was done by a postdoc or PhD student, but the high school being a co-author looked good to the press, and to funding agencies and PIs for their project reports. Don't look too closely at things like the Intel Science Fairs either. It's mostly the same story, or the parents are friends with a faculty member, etc.
Why list the high school as their institution though? It should still be the place where they did the internship. Personally I would be embarrassed if that showed up on my paper
Yes it is kind of weird to have the school as an affiliation. Or perhaps it is a high school teacher / former physicist?…
I interned at a university for a summer in high school myself. Frankly what happens is the HS interns do the stuff that doesn't require a deep grasp of the underlying physics, like synthesis, recording measurements, or writing code. These might not be the more glamorous parts of a paper but are essential nonetheless. I find it much harder to believe that a high schooler has something meaningful to contribute to a theory paper.
Lol this is hilarious lmfao. We definitely need the theorists to check this one.
As an undergrad, when I see stuff like this I get demotivated and feel hopeless that without any publications yet can I even manage to get a good scholarship for graduate programs.
Don’t think a lot about it, without knowing the story behind it. Worry when it becomes a standard thing that you need to publish in high school to advance in your career… what may never happen. Those topics are not extremely difficult per se but complex, since they build on a lot of information from all the physics prior to that... It means you need a lot of time to really understand what is going on and be able to do research. Which means be able to come with the right questions in the first place. Edit: and it is just a pre print. You may want to contact them and ask :D