Summer at UC Berkeley

This comprehensive healthcare exploration program offers a transformative academic experience designed to deepen understanding and apply essential skills vital for success in health professions. Led by experts, action-based simulations provide hands-on exposure to the daily routines of healthcare professionals. Activities range from suturing and dissection to trauma response and clinical diagnostics, supplemented by engaging case studies and engaging class discussions.

Participants embark on on and off-campus site visits to state-of-the-art simulation labs and healthcare facilities, gaining invaluable insights from panels featuring professionals at various career stages. This immersive approach not only enhances technical proficiency but also fosters critical thinking and teamwork essential for thriving in healthcare environments. Whether aspiring to work in medicine, nursing, or allied health fields, this program equips students with practical knowledge and a firsthand glimpse into the fast-paced world of healthcare practice and advancement.

In Psychiatry and Neuroscience at UC Berkeley, students will address topics such as the biology of mental illness, psychopharmacology, and the ethical considerations involved in treating patients with mental health disorders. Interactive learning techniques may involve role-playing exercises, case studies, and laboratory sessions that will help students refine skills in patient communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

With the Summer Discovery Psychiatry and Neuroscience Academy, you’ll understand the paths to and attributes of successful health professionals in the “brain sciences” (e.g. psychiatry, neurology, psychology, neuroscience), hear and learn from the lived experiences of current health professionals and students, and identify aspects of careers in healthcare to envision your own personal journey towards becoming a future “brain science” health professional.

With an Inspirit AI course, students will work on a mentor-led group project in a domain of their choice and present their work to peers and instructors.

The course will start with students collaborating in small groups to complete an AI project that sits at the intersection of AI and other domains, such as healthcare, art + entertainment, political science, astronomy, finance, sustainability, and more. Students are placed in project groups based on their responses to the project preference survey they receive before the course begins. Projects culminate in a presentation on the final day, in which students present their research findings and practice spoken scientific communication skills.

This course explores the transformative impact of robotics across industries, covering its history, evolution, and the latest trends like AI-driven automation and soft robotics. Students will engage in hands-on projects to build and program robotic systems, learning key concepts such as circuitry, sensors, and mechanical design. The curriculum includes guest speakers from Silicon Valley, field trips to top tech companies, and a Capstone project where students develop innovative robotic solutions to real-world challenges. Designed for aspiring STEM students, this course offers an inspiring introduction to robotics and engineering, with no prior experience required.

At UC Berkeley, Summer Discovery participants will embark on a transformative two-week journey into modern medicine, exploring cutting-edge techniques through a hands-on learning approach. The program combines interactive lectures from renowned medical experts with visits to state-of-the-art research facilities, offering students a comprehensive understanding of the medical research field. Participants will develop critical thinking and academic research skills as they create their own research project proposals, which are submitted for review on the final in-person day.

Following the on-campus experience, students join a virtual cohort, where they are paired 1:1 with a research mentor aligned with their interests. Over 10 virtual sessions, students work at their own pace to complete their projects, which can be submitted to prestigious journals, shared at symposiums, or transformed into creative outputs like podcasts. Conducted in partnership with Polygence, the premier online research academy, the program includes both the immersive on-campus experience and Polygence’s Core Research Program, ensuring dedicated mentorship from expert academics.