The Lawrence Hall of Science
The public science center of the University of California, Berkeley.
Open Daily 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Animal Discovery Zone 11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
We’ll bring our science programs to you.
We partner with school districts to support science learning. We offer district-wide elementary, middle, and high school programs, either virtually or in-person.
We collaborate with a range of partners to innovate in science education. Together, we go further.
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Are you curious about the future of gene editing? Discover the exciting field of biotechnology and learn how scientists are using a new technology called CRISPR to change organisms’ genes accurately and efficiently. These innovations in biotechnology seek to solve many of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as curing diseases and creating crops that are more resilient to the effects of climate change. Together, we’ll explore the science behind gene editing, use CRISPR to edit genes in bacteria, and examine the complex ethical questions this innovative technology raises. You will gain skills and knowledge about genetics and biotechnology while adding valuable experience to your college and career pathways. Parents are invited at 3 p.m. on the last day to see and hear teens share their projects and receive their U.C. Berkeley certificate of completion.
June 10 – June 14, 2024:
July 8 – July 12, 2024:
Your days begin with gathering on campus and signing in to your respective program tracks. From there, you head to your respective lab spaces and form an opening circle to frame the day, including a quick social check-in and content-related invitation to learning. Each day, you get to engage in STEM-related explorations and investigations, sometimes in pairs and sometimes in small groups. You do restriction enzyme mapping, gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation using plasmid DNA, and gene editing with CRISPR. Midday, you take time to eat lunch on campus and enjoy some social downtime with peers in your track and other STEM tracks. Afternoons continue investigations and incorporate tours to related labs like the Innovative Genomics Institute, museum exhibits, and sites on and off campus. Some days include graduate students or faculty joining you for Q&A and sharing about cutting-edge research happening on or off campus. As the week unfolds, you engage in small-group, self-directed research and/or project-based learning toward presentations on the last day of the program. Your STEM track content wraps up with a closing circle around 3:30 p.m. Afterward, you gather together for additional unique career pathway programming in mixed groups. This can include a U.C. Berkeley campus tour, a current student panel and Q&A, and other personal or professional development workshops. Programming concludes at 5 p.m. If you opt for the residential track, you will stay on campus for dinner and evening activities— both involving social and college preparedness—and then sleep in the U.C. Berkeley dorms.
Phoebe Hall
Phoebe received her B.S. in Biological Sciences from the University of Chicago where she did her thesis on butterfly genetics. She is a biologist working as a strain engineer in the alternative protein industry. This summer Phoebe serves as an instructor in a wide range of Teen Research Programs at The Lawrence.
When not doing science, Phoebe loves playing ultimate frisbee, hiking, and crocheting.
Gean Hu
Gean Hu is an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley majoring in Bioengineering and Computer Science. She currently studies protein dynamics in endocytosis and is interested in learning more about computational biology and science education.
In her free time, she is an avid (but not very skilled) video game player and amateur cover artist.