Biotechnology at UC Berkeley

This is a unique opportunity to work in a biotech lab on state-of-the-art equipment with scientists

Summer program for teens to immerse themselves in the Bay Area's cutting edge biotech scene

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Program Highlights

Students will have class in a lab, and work alongside their instructor discovering treatments for various diseases

Start with molecule design and compound creation, and follow the process to the point of in vitro biological activity

Take part in a trypsin purification program as well as grow a protein in e-coli

Learn how to isolate a protein, and see how it reacts to various compounds in an advanced research laboratory

Create a molecule, and test its biological results practicing the scientific method from hypothesis to conclusion

Residential Tuition:
$5,698

Extended Commuter Tuition:
$3,698

Commuter Tuition:
$3,098

Session 1: June 18 - June 30, 2023

Session 2: July 2 - July 14, 2023

Sessison 3: July 16 - July 28, 2023

University of California at Berkeley
Berkeley, CA

Course Overview

Are you interested in medicine, science and technology? Is your goal to create a life saving drug? This is a unique opportunity for high school students to gain real exposure and hands-on experience working in a state-of-the-art science lab utilizing advanced equipment. The goal of this program is to provide students intensive laboratory experience relevant to the biotechnology field, and to understand fundamental chemical processes common in prokaryotic and eukaryotic biology, and classical and molecular genetics with an emphasis on gene expression and genetic engineering.

Your lab time will take place at a brand new science center equipped with the latest technology and equipment, so you’ll be among the first to have hands-on experience working with these cutting-edge instruments in a laboratory environment.

Meet your instructor

Luis Valentin Alvarado

Biotechnology UC Berkeley

Luis Valentin Alvarado, PhD candidate in Microbiology at UC Berkeley. Luis is a PhD candidate and Graduate Student Researcher at the Innovative Genomics Institute. He received his bachelors in Microbiology and Chemistry from University of Puerto Rico.

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Topics you'll explore

Hands-On Learning

Students do their daily class directly inside a biotechnology lab or a fully equipped lab space within a state-of-the-art science center. This past summer students toured JLabs and other incubators in San Diego, as well as met with scientists from Sazid Hussain, Chief Scientific Officer of Aivo Code, a biotech company working on therapies for traumatic brain injuries.

Career Exploration

With industry professionals leading extensive discussions, along with visits to biotech incubators and the opportunity for students to experience hands on laboratory experimentation, this course provides wide ranging facets of learning related to the biotech industry that sets students up for future success.