Teaching Faculty Wannabe

Hi all! I just got my Bachelor's in May, and am in the process of applying to PhD porgrams starting in the Fall 2019. I decided to take a gap year so I could focus on applying and hopefully obtain some additional research experience. I am having a rough time finding research opportunities, however. I have been searching since February, and one of the reasons I didn't find anything because most programs started during the summer and I was traveling then. Do any of you know of short-term research opportunities lasting 6 months or so? My background is in materials science and engineering, but I want to focus my PhD research in biomaterials and tissue engineering, which means I am applying to a lot of biomedical engineering grad programs. I appreciate any help! Thanks so much in advance!