Applied Studies: STEM research program

College Prep’s STEM program is for students interested in getting hands-on research experience in a broad array of STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics).
The course begins with a spring semester seminar (STEM Research Part I) that provides the foundational scientific knowledge and analytical skills needed for a summer internship. During discussion-based classes, students learn how to read primary scientific literature, analyze and critique raw data, and work as a productive member of a research team. The core of the program takes place during the summer, when students are matched with research mentors for full-time, six-week internships. In the fall, the program concludes with a semester-long seminar (STEM Research Part II) in which students prepare a poster about their summer research and design and deliver a formal scientific talk. Most placements are in labs at either UCSF or UC Berkeley.

Past STEM research topics include:
  • Characterizing Autism Spectrum Disorder-associated microtubule dynamics during telencephalon development in the western clawed frog
  • Analysis of microbial communities to enhance fuel projection from biomass
  • Experimental analysis of ISG15 antiviral gene expression in early-onset Alzheimer’s disease patients
  • The design of microfluidic devices to be used in metastatic cancer cell detection
  • Investigating the impact of skin pigmentation on the accuracy of pulse oximetry
  • Building a portable cryoablation device to treat
    cervical pre-cancer
  • Estrogen regulates of the Sonic Hedgehog gene signaling and neural progenitor cell biology in the embryonic forebrain
  • Discovering the roles of Pou family pluripotency factors in neural, skin, and muscle development in the African clawed frog
I have always enjoyed science class, and STEM has allowed me to pursue my love for the sciences in a more serious manner. STEM has also shown me what being a scientist entails.     
— Alum

List of 1 members.

  • Photo of Cameron Exner

    Cameron Exner 

    Science Teacher
    510.652.0111 x223

mens conscia recti

a mind aware of what is right