HOW UCLA STEM CELL RESEARCH IS TRANSFORMING MEDICINE

High School Outreach Program

Connecting LA-area high school students with the scientists, stories and hands-on experiences that make a future in STEM feel possible.

The next generation of scientists is already out there. They just don't know it yet.

Since 2023, the UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center has been bringing early career scientists and LA-area high school students together through our High School Outreach Program. Through hands-on, no-cost classroom visits and field trips to our labs at UCLA, students from all backgrounds get a firsthand look at what a life in science actually looks like — straight from the scientists who live it.

During these interactions, students see revolutionary technologies in action, learn how stem cells are being used to develop life-saving therapies and get practical guidance on applying to college and pursuing a science degree. Equally important, they hear directly from scientists who share their own stories — including the winding paths, the setbacks and the moments that made it all worthwhile.

856

high school students reached

LA-area partner schools (and counting)

scientists who have participated

70%

of students reported increased interest in a science career

95%

of students reported increased knowledge about how to pursue higher education

Bring UCLA scientists into your classroom: UCLA graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and early-career physician scientists visit partner schools to present their research — and their stories. Students learn the basics of stem cell biology, see "Day in the Life" videos of working scientists and ask the questions they've always wondered about: What does a scientist actually do all day? Do you have to be a genius? What if you don't know your major yet?

Step inside a real research lab: Students visit the UCLA campus for immersive lab tours, hands-on science experiments and an interactive Q&A panel with UCLA undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs and faculty. Past visits have included looking at neural cells and water bears under high-resolution microscopes, seeing a 3D bioprinter used in stem cell therapy at work, and making bracelets encoding the DNA sequence of a human, butterfly or Madagascar hissing cockroach.

Testimonials

"My favorite part of the day was going to the hematology lab because I want to become an oncologist. It was really cool to see the research they did with leukemia cells and how they're trying to fight them."

Alessandra Barrera

11th grade student, Odyssey STEM Academy

high school girl with long hair and wearing a long sleeved white shirt standing on the UCLA campus

"Our high school students generally come from low-income families, so it's difficult for them to imagine themselves in certain professions because they're focused on surviving instead of thriving. Having young people who come from backgrounds like theirs come talk to them during this pivotal time in their lives can really open their eyes to all the opportunities they have access to."

Sonia Perez

Biology teacher, East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy

"I'm a first-generation college student and I wanted to convey the message that I'm not special in any way… and yet now I'm a stem cell researcher at UCLA. If I can do it, anyone can."

Andrew Lund

Graduate student in the lab of Brigitte Gomperts, M.D.

"I didn't learn about certain careers such as a research scientist until college. Introducing different career options to students in high school could really make a difference in their trajectory."

Carlos Galván

Graduate student in the lab of William Lowry, Ph.D.