ISO reviews of Lawrence Hall of Science Teen Research Program

My student (HS class of 2023) participated the summer before their senior year in the LHS Marine Bio research program at the Bodega Bay facility. It was a fantastic experience for them. I can't comment on the other options, but it seemed well organized, and definitely not casual. They did a partner research project and presented at the end of the week - it was real science and prepared them to do more in college. Good luck!

My daughter attended the LHS Teen Research Program with the focus of field ecology at UCSC last year ('24).  Full diclosure I worked for LHS for 18 years, so I'm well familiar with the pedagogy but that job ended 16 years ago, so no current asociation except as a parent.  She had a spectacular time, which is saying something because she is a shy kid. She is very interested in botany and is motivated to learn - this isn't the place to send your kid if they aren't into the topic -field ecology and marine bio are the topics/camps I'm familiar with.  But if your kid is thinking of a career in the natural sciences, this is fantastic.  One thing that is irreplaceable is that they spend a week on a college campus, living in the dorms and eating in the dining hall.  This helped my kid begin to think about colleges in a tangible way and begin to think about what type of campus will be right for her. Another great benefit is that they go out into the field - the coast for marine bio and the immediiate surroundings of the college for field ecology, which are tremnous natural resources, and then utiliize the labs on campus to work with whatever they may have collected.  They have to research something in particular and give a presentation at the end of the week to the parents - when you drive there to get your kid, there is a presentation of all the students' research projects.  That was great, both because I learned new things from them and because it helped me get a realistic sense of where my kid is relative to others, what her strengths an weaknesses are.  ANd solid for her as he was le through what makes reearch reliable and how to communicate your findings. The staff are very warm and thoughtful, an example, my kid had her 16th birthfay during the camp, they coodinated with me about the cake, they took pictures, and generally made her feel special on her day. In terms of fellow campers, my daughter felt as if she had found her people, others who think plants are fascinating and books are fun.  She was allowe to get up early one day an jion the marine kids for a tidepooling adventure.  The staff have deep experience both with science education and teens, so in adition to learning advanced content in age appropriate way, they enjoyed time doing just fun teen socialiing and activities.  We found it really worth it, both in terms of the experience it gave her, what she learned and the self-confidence it engendered.  Really both thumbs up.  

I highly recommend the LHS Teen Research Program.  My 16 YO participated in the UCSC Field Ecology Research summer of 2024 and both of us had a truly positive experience, and my teen returned from the research program with a greater sense of confidence, independence, responsibility, and maturity.

From a student standpoint, it’s an exciting way to learn something new, and the weeklong research, from gathering data and to putting the data together in a slide deck sounded fun but challenging, which allowed my teen to utilize his existing skills to build on new skills, including data analysis, communications, and presentation skills.  Teens were grouped 3-4 individuals per group, and it’s a decent size project that needs to be completed in 5 days, so no time to waste and they truly have to pull their own weight while utilizing their collaboration skills.  It’s also an excellent opportunity to experience dorm life, foster independence while meeting new friends with similar interests and be able to collaborate during the day and enjoy the comraderies in the evening.  It’s truly empowering for the teens to be able to put together the wonderful research and present it in an impressive manner.  On pick up day, parents are invited to watch their presentations, and I am truly in awe of how much the groups were able to accomplish together and each group did a fantastic job with their slide decks that looked so good, you’d thought college grads made them.

From a parent standpoint, the program was well thought out and the organizers stayed in close touch every step of the way, from application, to acceptance, to the day of the drop off, and finally to the day of pickup…the LHS was very responsive in guiding my teen and myself in preparation for the 5 night program. And on drop off day, we were warmly welcomed by the organizers, then instructed to put the sleeping bags and belongings away while getting a sneak peek of the dorms, it instantly gave me a peace of mind that my teen was in great hands…and he truly was.  And while my teen was living in the dorms the week of the research program, hundreds of miles away from home, I was receiving from organizers daily updates on what the group was up to, how the research are going, as well as tidbits fun “aha! moments”. On pick up day, I was most impressed by how at ease the teens were during the presentation as their have to stand in front of all the parents and siblings, and their focus and calm demeanor painted a picture of how supported they felt being surrounded by their new friends and their team leaders, they were proud of their hard work and didn’t seem nervous at all. Truly, zero stage fright! Like each of them have been researching and presenting their entire lives!  

Because of the relaxing and serene atmosphere and being so close to nature, I truly believe LHS Teen Research Program was a great combination of unwinding and inspiring for teens.