High school students in San Diego are learning what it takes to run a biotechnology company — and bringing affordable and exciting new science to their peers. An innovative and collaborative science outreach program at the University of California, San Diego, has designated Castle Park High School, San Diego High School and Mira Mesa High School as “tech sites” where high school students will be producing test lab kits at no cost for other high school science students in their districts.  The three high schools primarily serve students from low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds.  On Aug. 24, the students at Castle Park High School were set to demonstrate their lab kit production for Rep. Bob Filner, who represents California’s 51st Congressional District, one of the most ethnically diverse districts in the nation.

The tech sites program, facilitated by UC San Diego’s ScienceBridge science education outreach program, gives students the opportunity to learn about biotechnology and science production in the classroom as they put together lab kits for other students.  The program’s mission is to unite science and science education by bringing today’s leading research into the classroom — at an affordable price. Once assembled, the test kits are distributed free of charge to schools throughout the San Diego Unified and Sweetwater Union school districts, and are available to schools outside of these districts at $20 per class. Normally, these kits would cost $100-150 per class.  

“The tech sites keep production costs low, which is why they are critical to our goal of bringing cutting-edge science into the classroom,” said Jeremy Babendure, executive director of ScienceBridge at UC San Diego. “Otherwise, teachers would not be able to bring these labs to their students.  The tech sties allow us to bring the latest in science to students that may not have access.”

In addition to science education, the tech sites teach students important job skills as they work in teams to produce the lab kits. 

“Producing test lab kits give students the entire compass of a company — from customer support to assembling to risk management — so that they learn all the different parts of a biotech company,” said Lisa Yoneda, a teacher at Mira Mesa High School.

“The tech sites empower students,” added Babendure. “The students creating the kits feel accomplished, and the students receiving the kits are inspired to see their peers’ work contributing to the classroom laboratory experience.”

Moreover, San Diego biotech companies are already showing support for the program. Life Technologies Corp., a global biotechnology tools company based in Carlsbad, Calif., donates jars of nickel beads, valued at $5,000 each, to use in the lab kits. 

In addition to the tech sites, ScienceBridge facilitates a variety of other outreach programs for students to get hands-on experience with the latest scientific research. With ScienceBridge and other educational outreach programs, UC San Diego is showing its commitment to advancing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education and preparing the next generation of science leaders and innovators. For more information about supporting these programs, including in-kind gifts for the tech sites program, call (858) 534-0263 or e-mail stuaffairsdev@ucsd.edu.