The Lawrence Hall of Science
The public science center of the University of California, Berkeley.
Open Wednesday - Sunday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. April 1 - 9 open daily
Bring your students to The Lawrence, or bring our inquiry-based 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 accurately and efficiently change organisms’ genes. These innovations in biotechnology seek to solve many of the world’s most pressing challenges. Together we’ll explore the science behind gene editing, use CRISPR to edit genes in bacteria, and examine the complex ethical questions raised by this innovative technology. You will gain skills and knowledge about genetics and biotechnology while adding valuable experience to your college and career pathways.
Dates: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m, 06/12/2023 – 06/16/2023
Location: Valley Life Sciences Building, UC Berkeley Campus
Housing (optional): Purchase on-campus housing, breakfast, and dinner for an additional cost of $900. Runs Sunday, June 11 through Friday, June 16. Spots are limited and may sell out.
Food: Lunch is provided.
Program Tuition: $1,150 or $995(reduced)
Our days begin with gathering on campus and signing in to our respective tracks. Teens head to their lab spaces and form an opening circle to frame the day, including a quick social check-in and a themed invitation to learning. They then engage in related explorations, procedures, and investigations in small groups, in such fields as restriction enzyme mapping, gel electrophoresis, bacterial transformation using plasmid DNA, and gene editing with CRISPR. Midday, teens take time to eat lunch at a campus dining hall and enjoy some social downtime together. Afternoons continue investigations and incorporate tours to related labs, museum exhibits, and sites on and off campus. Alternatively, grad students or faculty may join the group for Q&A and sharing about cutting-edge research happening on or off campus. As the week unfolds, teens are engaged in small-group self-directed research and/or project-based learning toward presentations at the end of the program. Content wraps up with a closing circle around 3:45 p.m., then the teens gather again for additional science and engineering career pathway programming in mixed groups. This can include a campus tour, current student panel Q&A, and other personal or professional development workshops. If you are on the commuter track you head home at 5:30, while residential track teens stay on for dinner and evening activities—both social and college preparedness—then sleep in the UC Berkeley dorms.