The Lawrence Hall of Science
The public science center of the University of California, Berkeley.
Wednesday–Sunday 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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Have you ever wondered how scientists use programming to explore the deepest reaches of space? In this program, you will discover an exciting real-world application of computer programming. No coding experience required. Learn block-based coding and use it to overcome engineering challenges as you build and program your own model satellite for deep space exploration. You will explore the iterative design process and deepen your knowledge of both our solar system and computer programming. Teens end the week coding and building a model satellite of their own imaginative creation. Parents are invited at 4 p.m. on the last day to see and hear teens share their projects and receive their U.C. Berkeley certificate of completion.
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 things such as using Scratch to solve a range of design challenges, building a nano-satellite, or coding your nano-satellite to conduct a space investigation. Midday, you take time to eat lunch on campus and enjoy some social downtime with peers in your track as well as other STEM tracks. Afternoons continue investigations and incorporate tours to UC Berkeley’s Space Sciences Lab, the Lawrence Hall of Science Planetarium, and other 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. Your STEM track content wraps up with a closing circle around 3:30 p.m. After that, 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 as well as college preparedness—and then sleep in the U.C. Berkeley dorms.
Luis Saldana
Originating from Salinas, California, Luis Saldana grew up fascinated with mathematics and physics but lacked the resources to pursue his passions. Today, he is an undergraduate student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Engineering Mathematics and Statistics and a minor in Physics at the University of California, Berkeley.
Luis is passionate about giving youth growing up in Salinas, like he once did, opportunities that he did not have growing up. In his free time, you can find Luis hiking, mountain biking, and hanging out with his dog, Bruno. He enjoys playing video games and watching Spider-man movies.