Schedule and Workshops

Schedule

Attendee Workshops

Got DNA?

Students will extract DNA from strawberries and learn why each step of the protocol is necessary due to the complex organization of DNA in cells.

What Makes Cells Different?

Everything living–plants, animals, even organisms like yeast– are made up of tiny cells. But what makes these cells different? In this workshop, we'll look at both plant and animal cells and see what the smallest building blocks of our living world are like up close.

Dancing Geometry

What in the world is the relation between dancing and doing mathematics?! At first blush, it seems like they are very unrelated: one’s about moving the body, the other about writing squiggly notations on the board. But what if we can learn dance through math, and vice versa, learn math through dance?

Microbial Detectives (Gram staining)

How do doctors know what antibiotics to prescribe a patient with an unknown bacterial infection? They need the help of a microbial detective, the medical microbiologist! In our workshop, we will be identifying unknown bacteria using the Gram stain method, which is a type of biochemical test used regularly by the medical microbiologist.

Befriending the plant world

Have you ever thought about the plants in your neighborhood? What they are, how they got there, can I eat them? In this workshop we will use a common app called iNaturalist to identify plants in Berkeley. We will take a plant walk and learn how to identify plants, some of which are native and some that came from around the world, with the goal of better understanding the natural world and the role plants play in our homes!

Making 'Cents' of Electrochemistry

We will be turning pennies silver using electricity. This is called electroplating, which means we will use electrical current from a battery to deposit zinc (a silver-colored metal) on the outside of a penny. We will learn about how electrical current can cause metal ions to move through a solution.

Slime Time! Discover the Magic of Polymers.

What do humans, plastics, and slime have in common? We all contain polymers! In this workshop, we'll explore the science behind polymer reactions by making slime from simple household ingredients.

Design your neighborhood

Ever wonder how parks or plazas could be reimagined? In this hands-on workshop, you'll become an urban designer, analyzing a real spot in your neighborhood! Step 1: Explore & Discover. Learn to “read” the space—measure traffic, noise, green areas, and more! Step 2: Design & Create. Turn your findings into bold ideas. Sketch quick concepts: a new chill zone? A buzzing plaza? Let’s design the future of your neighborhood together!

Stress Test: Exploring the Science of Cell Survival

What happens to our cells when we face extreme stress—like exposure to harsh chemicals, bright light, or heat? In this interactive workshop, students will explore how cells respond to everyday stressors by conducting experiments on insect cells. They will use brightfield microscopy and cell-staining markers to quantify cell viability. Through this hands-on activity, students will learn key biological concepts and gain practical experience in lab techniques, sparking curiosity about careers in STEM and the impact of science on everyday life.

Immunoevasive Alginate Encapsulation

Alginate is a widely-used anionic biomaterial derived from brown seaweed, and can be crosslinked with positive ions to achieve a hydrogel structure that can hold up to 100x their own dry weight in water. Due to its hydrophilic surface properties, alginate can serve as a barrier between implantable devices/cells and the immune system while still allowing nutrient exchange between the body and implant. In this exercise, we will vary alginate solution concentrations, ion concentration, and crosslinking times to successfully encapsulate and characterize yeast encapsulated in "macrospheres".

Liars and Truthtellers

An introduction to the study of logic! Featuring many logic puzzles about knights, knaves, and a planetary traveller.

Exploring photosynthesis: how do plants produce energy?

Plants use light, carbon dioxide, and water to produce energy, creating gas in the process. We will create an experiment to measure this and test how different colors of light change the photosynthesis efficiency.

Community Development: Urban design and impacts

The study and practice of community development and city planning are intersectional, broad, and shift with the setting. Community development and metrics are heavily influenced by physical, social, and political drivers requiring flexibility and openness to support life. Urban design is deeply influenced by various cultures in various ways. Future development in underserved areas needs to include relationship building and an understanding of the proposed physical spaces.

CRISPR Chronicles: Editing Life's Blueprint

Step into the fascinating world of genome editing with CRISPR, the revolutionary tool changing the face of science and medicine! In this hands-on workshop, you’ll learn how scientists are using CRISPR to tackle diseases, improve crops, and explore life’s smallest building blocks. Experiment with your own "DNA puzzles," to model genome editing, and imagine a future where you could rewrite the story of life itself. Explore how this cutting-edge technology is shaping a healthier and more innovative tomorrow!

Protect the Pill

Have you ever wondered why there are different types of medication? In this workshop, you will be biomedical engineers designing protective coating on pills that can safely pass through our digestive system. You will learn the relationship between medication and your stomach.

Let it Glow!

How do glow sticks work? Why do fireflies glow in the dark? Come discover the wonderful world of chemiluminescence and bioluminescence!

Simple Machines and Mechanics

The purpose of the workshop is to introduce the concept of simple machines and their mechanics and demonstrate how simple machines make work easier. We will discuss the physical principles behind this, supplemented by hands-on-demonstrations of pulleys, levers, inclined planes etc, and solve a small engineering problem at the end!

The unseen world of microorganisms

In this workshop, we will learn to collect and grow real microbes from the environment. We'll also analyze how effective antibiotics are at killing these microbes.

Festive atmosphere laser lights

When holidays come around, how can we create a more festive atmosphere? Festive laser lights can be a great idea. Our workshop will introduce the working principles of festive atmosphere laser lights.

Let's Make a Water Filter!

Did you know you can clean wastewater with ingredients from your kitchen and sand? Let's test it out! We will create a random water mix out of kitchen ingredients, then construct miniature water filters to clean it.

Ultrafast 3D printing with light, like magic!

3D printing like magic is possible with CAL. Join us to learn more about the novel 3D printing method called Computed Axial Lithography that creates objects with light and in less than 30 seconds! We will offer a live demo of the prints and the opportunity to choose objects that you wish to create with CAL.

The Birthday Problem

What are the odds that in a room full of friends you have a secret twin? We will explore probability through the lens of the Birthday Problem!

Spider Science

Why are people afraid of spiders when they are so helpful and cool? Join as a spider scientist and learn all about the wonderful world of spiders through hands on activities, looking at hidden pictures, using spider models, and more. You might even see some spiders sing and dance!

Learn about Genetics

Learn how your genetics affect you. Find out if you're a super taster! Use your understanding of genetics to create your own creature! We'll work as a group to figure out the traits and their inheritance to make a unique animal friend.

Creative Coding

Ever wondered how you can bring your ideas to life on a computer? In this workshop, you’ll get an exciting, hands-on and fun introduction to programming. You’ll create your very own interactive animation! Along the way, you’ll see how coding helps you solve problems, express creativity, and collaborate with others. By the end, you’ll have something cool to show off and the confidence to keep exploring what computer science can do. No experience needed—just bring your imagination!

Let's Make Slime!

What makes slime sticky and stretchy? Get ready to answer these questions and dive into the world of polymers! Learn how everyday materials like glue and borax come together to create stretchy, bouncy slime, all while unlocking the secrets of the amazing molecules that make it all happen.

Secrets in the sequences: decoding environmental microbes

Did you know that if you take all of the microbes on our planet and strung them together you could go to the moon & back at least 14 quadrillion times?! Microbes are everywhere even though we can't see them - in the ocean and soil, in the air all around us, and even on your cellphone! How do we know so much about where they are and what they are doing if we can't see them with our naked eye? In this workshop, we'll work together to learn how scientists study microbes that we can't grow in the lab by piecing together DNA that we sequence from the environment with genomic 'puzzles'!

Creative Engineering with PaperMech

Do you like crafting with paper and cardboard? Learn about engineering mechanisms while making your own paper machine. In this workshop, you will get to choose a mechanical movement and assemble a paper machine from parts. Decorate and then use your paper machine to animate your favorite storybook character. (Learners can keep their paper machines after the workshop.)

Exploring Bioengineering

What is bioengineering, and how do bioengineers use biology and engineering to solve real-world challenges? In this workshop, we will investigate how bioengineers manipulate DNA to improve medicine and technology with a hands-on banana DNA extraction activity.

Fold to the Future: A Hands-On Protein Adventure

Ever wondered how the tiny machines in your body work? Join us in a game called Foldit, where you get to be a scientist and fold proteins—the building blocks of life—into crazy shapes to solve real science puzzles! See if you can beat the game and discover how your skills could help scientists create new medicines someday.

Fruitful DNA

Students will learn about DNA, the genetic material that makes up all living things. They will use biochemical techniques to get an up-close look at DNA by extracting it from different fruits and will see which fruit gives the best yield.

Parent Workshops