<p>For 99% of high school kids “doing research” is providing some gruntwork as part of a team that actually has the requisite expertise. Nothing wrong with that. They see what “research” is all about and it lets colleges know that they have some potential interest and were willing (either independently or with parental cajoling) to spend the time. My kid did it. So did I, way back - scanning seismographic charts for data points; all day long, ad nauseum. I’m sure its an automated task today.</p>