My son is planning to take science research as an elective next year, while in 8th grade, at his middle school allowing him to pick a topic, conduct independent research, and then present it at the LA County Engineering and Science Fair. My question is as follows–unlike many HS kids who take this course in HS and have many more avenues to receive technical guidance from a mentor (e.g., a faculty member from one of the nearby UCs), an 8th grader truly doesn’t have these opportunities. If your child pursued science research in 8th grade or even in 9th grade, who mentored them and guided them through the technical nuances of collecting data for their specific project? I suspect he will do something in computer science, math, or engineering. I am a behavioral scientist and while my husband is an engineer, he is not a researcher. Did you ask a friend who is in that field to mentor your child? Did you steer them towards a topic in your area of expertise so that you could mentor them? I know nothing about the research methods scientists in the aforementioned fields use, so I am afraid I won’t be able to help him with the actual content. Lastly, when I look at 8th graders’ topics from last year, they sound technical enough where they would have needed some guidance from an expert in the topic. Thanks so much for any input folks can offer!!!