[essofluffy]

What I would like is to be around and ideally involved in new ideas, research, and discovery. Even if that means getting coffee and hours inside during the summer.

As a high school student, I'm not sure what I can offer any ideas there?

I also get the impression from your post that I need to get more specific and engage graduate students that are working on projects. Should I possibly be asking the graduate students to work with them as opposed to their professor?

[umbs]

Firstly, please identify areas of your interest. Even a bit broader area is alright to begin with . .

Secondly, you can start out reading technical publications in those areas. Getting in to the habit of reading research papers takes time. Slowly you have to reach a stage to remove fluff from the paper and draw out the essence in ~10 minutes. It will also help make your mind fertile for new ideas.

Thirdly, graduate students, particularly PhD students, are helpful and can guide you. Remember, some of them are preparing for a future in academics. So, they are tuned in to guiding new students. But you need to do your work prior to approaching them. I also feel, you'll get more returns for your invested time if you meet PhD students.

[essofluffy]

I'd like to get involved in AI and I have already found a research group at this university along with a list of graduate students working on projects and their professor.

I'll begin reading through some of their research and getting used to reading papers as you suggested. Should I go through their professor to get to the students or contact them directly?