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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Rena Dorph is the Director of The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California, Berkeley. She also serves as the Principal Investigator for multiple STEM learning R&D projects including as a Founder and Principal Investigator of the Activation Lab and the Executive Producer and Co-Creator of the animated musical series, The Lawrence Rocks!. Rena has worked at The Lawrence Hall of Science since 2003, when she joined as Director of the Research Group. During this time, Rena also served as a Lecturer at the UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education. Rena serves on multiple governing and advisory boards including the Board of Directors of the Association for Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) and WestEd. In 2019 Rena was recognized by the San Francisco Business Times as one of the Bay Area’s Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.
Rena has worked in the field of education, with a focus on research and evaluation, for over 20 years. Rena’s research has focused on the relationship between learning experiences and outcomes, paying consistent attention to issues of equity, access, and impact. Prior to joining The Lawrence, Rena served as Director for Research, Policy, and Technology in the Teacher Education and Professional Development Unit of the University of California Office of the President; as an educational consultant for California schools, districts, and county offices of education; as the Lead Researcher for the School Restructuring Study at UC Berkeley; and for the National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools, and Teaching at Columbia University/Teachers College in New York City. Rena received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Davis; an M.A. in the Sociology of Education from Teachers College at Columbia University; and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy, Organization, Measurement, and Evaluation from University of California, Berkeley’s Graduate School of Education.
As The Lawrence prepares to reopen our indoor space to the public for the first time in 20 months, and…