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.
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Are you curious about what it takes to be a Marine Biologist? Experience firsthand the investigative work, exciting discovery, and fun of ocean science at UC Santa Cruz’s Long Marine Laboratory! Days are jam-packed with scientific observations of marine organisms, tide pooling, and developing your own lab-based research project in marine biology. This program also includes downtime, hikes, and other social activities to make new friends. Join us to gain skills, knowledge, and insight into the field of marine biology while adding valuable experience to your college and career pathways.
Parents are invited at 10 a.m. on the last day for teens to share their projects.
Session 3: 07/13/2025 – 07/19/2025 Residential only at UC Santa Cruz
Wake-up but don’t worry—it is only this early on tidepooling a couple days (low tide is 7:30)
Head to tidepools
Tidepool exploration and observations
Return to campus for breakfast together
Rest, shower, and prepare for the day
Opening Circle- group check-in and framing the day
Head to the Marine Lab for hands-on investigations
Learning and Practicing observation Skills
Lunch break in campus cafeteria or packed lunch out in the field Social time with teens from other tracks
Continued investigations and explorations in your track
Various lab tours and guest speakers
Closing Circle- reflection prompts and preview of what’s ahead
Clean up & enjoy some well deserved downtime
Dinner
Evening program- Night Hike, Campus or other tours, Meet and talk to current college students,Meet and talk to professionals from a range of STEM career fields Free time
Lights Out!
No, we do not provide transportation to and from the U.C. Santa Cruz campus. Parents or legal guardians must arrange to drop off or pick up their teens. More detailed information will be provided after registration for the program.
Once on-site, transportation for programming needs is provided for the duration of the program.
Each day includes various activities, starting with morning opening, breakfast, and science activities and investigations, followed by lunch, downtime, social time, and special evening activities. See the section “A day in the life” for more info.
Teens need to be able to walk to and from investigation sites near the ocean and over sand and rocks. For Field Ecology, this may include through forest and brush. The weather can change from one day to the next, so be prepared for a range of clothing needs. It’s always a good idea to have clothing that can get dirty when we are outdoors.
Accommodations at the U.C. Santa Cruz campus are student dorm-style rooms that are triple-occupancy with shared gender-specific bathrooms. Our program instructors are housed in the same buildings as the participants. A third gender-neutral restroom will also be available to youth who prefer that option.
Meals are served in the style of a student dining room. Campus staff provide two cooked meals (breakfast and dinner), plus supplies for a packed lunch each day. With prior notice, they can also accommodate most dietary requirements. In addition, we will provide snacks.
Yes, absolutely! We plan the week to allow for plenty of teen social time throughout the day and every evening, including meeting teens from the adjacent research track.
Cell coverage is unpredictable at all the sites visited during this program. That said, we will have Wi-Fi access at certain times, based on location and activities.
You will receive a packing list once registered for the program, along with the name of a contact person to answer any questions you have.
We do not provide transportation to and from the airport. It would be best to make those arrangements with plenty of transition time. Partial participation is not allowed.
We can’t tell you how to spend your summer vacation. That said, we require the parents and/or designated legal guardians to be accessible to contact and available for a pick up in case of emergency. Perhaps the Everest trek can wait for another week during your summer.
Claire Andrade
Claire is a deep sea ecologist and science educator who is passionate about environmental justice activism, political ecology, and equitable community outreach programming. She received her B.S. in oceanography from Oregon State University, completing fellowships at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. She went on to work at Boston University as the manager for Dr. Jeffrey Marlow’s Geomicrobiology Lab, and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in environmental sociology.
Claire grew up in the Bay Area with strong ties to farmworker rights activism in Stockton, CA. She enjoys watching movies with friends, making clay creatures, and thrifting.
Josephine Grell
Josephine Grell is a graduate of the University of Washington, Seattle where she received her B.S. in Marine Biology with a minor in Climate Science. During her time at U.W., she focused on the marine ecology impacts caused by climate change, climate solutions, and science communication through her research on kelp forests, invertebrates, and ocean acidification. She will be attending San Francisco State in the Fall to complete her Master of Science in Integrative Biology, studying climate impacts on intertidal organism physiology. She is working as the Teen Research Programs High School Coordinator and Marine Biology instructor this summer at The Lawrence.
Jo is from Oakland, California and she spent the last school year working as a naturalist in the Sierra Foothills. In her free time, Jo likes to read, go on runs with her dog, attend concerts, and spend as much time outside as she can.
Phoebe Hall
Phoebe is a biologist from Santa Cruz, California. She graduated from the University of Chicago in 2022, worked for a Bay Area biotech startup, and will be starting her PhD in fall 2025.
Outside of science, she loves hiking and ultimate frisbee!