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 how engineers design and build bridges? In this program, you will learn about different types of bridges, including truss bridges like the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge and suspension bridges like the Golden Gate and Bay Bridges. Then, design, build, and test models of bridges as you engage in the engineering process. Together, we will engage in engineering challenges, explore some physics fundamentals, and learn how to analyze static and dynamic forces. During the program, you will “play” lead engineer to design, build, and test bridges that can support human needs and withstand natural forces. You will learn basic bridge types and gain fundamentals of bridge engineering and construction. Teens end the week designing, building, and testing a popsicle stick bridge 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 engage in STEM-related explorations and investigations, sometimes in pairs and sometimes in small groups. You do things such as building and weight testing various types of bridge models or later in the program, designing a structure to withstand the powerful forces of an earthquake. 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. In afternoons, you continue designing and engineering and applying newly acquired physics concepts like static and dynamic weight to your project. You will also enjoy tours to related labs, exhibits, and sites on and off campus, like the Structures Lab. 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 and college preparedness—and then sleep in the U.C. Berkeley dorms.
Erin Kwon
Erin is a rising sophomore majoring in Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. She is interested in pursuing a career in the biotech field in the future.
In her free time, she likes to do Taekwondo and paint sceneries while listening to music.
Lucas Bear
Lucas Bear, born and raised in the Bay Area, studies Design Engineering at Brown University. He has previously served as an instructor for the Lawrence Teen Research Programs. Lucas is a graduate of Oakland Technical High School.
Outside of engineering, Lucas is interested in education and working with kids of all ages. In his free time, he likes to play ice hockey, rock climb, and crochet.