A person using a tool to handle a butterfly on a wooden display with pins.

Summer Camps

 

Notifications to all applicants for camp were sent out the evening of March 10 (PST).

Camp applications are now closed. Please mark your calendars for next year, January 2027 and for this summer check out the programs listed at the bottom of this page. 

A black and white yellow-billed magpie and a butterfly logo for Bio Boot Camps
Campers in the forest at Sagehen Creek Field Station
Two people examining specimens of birds
A group of people wading through a shallow, green river surrounded by lush vegetation.

Bio Boot Camp Application Process

We want to provide opportunities to as many people as possible, but there are many constraints that we have no control over. We regret that we have wait lists, but we don't want to compromise the quality of the camps. We do take into consideration whether a camper has previously applied to the camp and been wait listed as it shows a strong desire to attend the camp. We also take into consideration the grade of the camper. Applications typically come from all over California, but also across the US and the world. 

 Important 2026 Dates*:

  • Friday, January 30
    • Application submission period begins
  • Friday, February 27
    • ​​​​​​​Application submission period closes at 11:00 pm (PST)
  • Tuesday, March 10  -Notifications were sent out to everyone the evening of March 10 (PST)
    • ​​​​​​​Emails offering a spot in the camp or the waitlist will be sent by this date. Confirmations are then required.   
  • Monday, March 16
    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Last day to submit optional, needs-based scholarship form. 
  • Tuesday, March 24 
    • ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Needs-based scholarships awarded and confirmed campers will be sent registration codes.
  • Monday, April 13 
    • ​​​​​​​All campers should be registered with Campus Recreation Youth Programs by this date. If additional time is needed, please let us know.
    • There will be a mandatory Zoom meeting for selected campers and their families in June. ​​​​​​​​​​​​

*Change to a later date, may be necessary. If that is the case, we will strike the date listed here and put in the new date.

We truly welcome feedback and suggestions. Campers and their families have influenced the evolution of the camps in countless ways and will continue to do so. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Contact Tabatha Yang, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Bohart Museum of Entomology at UC Davis, at [email protected], if you have any questions. Please use the words "Bio Boot Camp question" in the subject line. ​

2026 Camp Forms

The application is camper-driven. That means they must fill out the application and write their own mini essay. There are one or two questions that specifically involve parent/guardian input, but that is all. 

We may need to talk with student applicants to clarify or verify their answers. We will do so through the phone number provided for the responsible adult. Communication will go through the provided email for the adult(s) and the student's email (if provided, as this is optional).
 
Student applicants are also responsible for getting a letter of recommendation from a teacher, mentor, coach, youth leader, etc...This is an on-line form that gets submitted by that adult, but without it the student's application will not be considered complete. 

We don't want the cost of camps to be a barrier to attending, so with help from the Bohart Museum Society, we offer needs-based scholarships. Typically they are for 50% of the cost of camp, but this can be adjusted on a case-by-case situation. Applying or not-applying for a scholarship has no bearing on the general application. If an applicant gets offered a spot, they have an additional week to get a needs-based scholarship submitted. Be aware, like the letter of recommendation, the needs-based scholarship requires needs to be submitted by someone from outside of the family. 

Here are the application forms:
 

Camp Descriptions & Dates

Bio Boot Camp-Mountain

For students entering grades 7, 8 & 9 in fall 2026

  • Day camp at UC Davis: Monday-Wednesday, July 13-15 (9:00 am-3:00 pm each day); Overnight camp: departs from UC Davis on Thursday, July 16 (9:00 am) and returns to UC Davis on Friday, July 17 (5:00 pm)
  • Overnight camp will be at UC Sagehen Creek Field Station near Truckee, CA.
  • Transportation, lodging, and food for the overnight portion is included in the camp fee.
  • Camp Fee $475 (needs-based scholarships are available)


Together with the UCD Museum of Wildlife & Fish Biology and Campus Recreation Youth Programs we launched Bio Boot Camp in 2011, a camp for junior high aged students who are interested in the natural sciences. There is limited enrollment and so we ask that the students themselves be part of the enrollment process. 

Bio Boot Camp overview
We get to know each other, play games, explore the UC Davis campus, and go behind the scenes at the two host museums: the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology. We go deep into standard museum practices from collecting data to preparing specimens including invertebrates and vertebrates. This can be hands-on or observational based on individual student's preferences. We also spend time outside mucking around in local streams, catching insects, observing birds and exploring nature with guest scientists. Bring a change of clothes and a sense of adventure! Thursday morning the vans get loaded with campers and gear and we visit the UC Sagehen Creek Field Station to compare the nature and biodiversity of the Central Valley to the Sierra Mountains. We stay at the field station, prepare our meals and sleep in cabins or tents. We put into practice everything we learned at camp and we have a lot of fun while doing it.

Transportation (vans), 3 meals (Thursday night dinner, Friday morning breakfast and lunch, plus snacks), and housing (cabins with bunk beds) are provided. Campers will have to bring their own sleeping bags, or bedding. Campers can also bring personal tents if they prefer. This camp has an enrollment of 12 students and 2 instructors, plus auxiliary staff.

Bio Boot Camp 2.0

For students entering grades 10, 11 & 12 in fall 2026

 

Together the Bohart Museum of Entomology, UCD Museum of Wildlife & Fish Biology, and Campus Recreation launched Bio Boot Camp 2.0 in 2013 after much enthusiasm from Bio Boot Campers who graduated out of the junior high program. The camp spans 7 days and 6 nights, so Sunday at 11:00 am to Saturday at 2:00 pm. Pick-up and drop-off will be at the museums on the UC Davis Campus. The first day the students drive up to the mountains in vans to get to know the ecology of the Sierra and each other and settle in at the UC Berkeley's Sagehen Creek Field Station outside of Truckee, CA . There the campers will conduct a group project and mini individual project and explore the area and discuss college and career paths. However, this is still camp, so there are wandering hikes, an exploration to Lake Tahoe, silly games, and a lots of fun throughout. We will be stopping at the UC Davis campus on Friday for part of the day before traveling to UC Davis Quail Ridge Field Station outside of Winters, CA for the last night of camp. Campers will get to compare the Sierra Mountains to the Central Valley, prepare for their presentations and have their costumed dinner party. Transportation (vans), housing (cabins for 6 nights and open "safari" group tents for the last night) and food will be provided (we do our best to accommodate diverse dietary needs), but campers will be expected to help prepare group meals and clean-up after themselves. This camp has an enrollment of 10 students and 3 instructors, plus auxiliary staff.
 

Quotes

 "An incredible experience for our teen to spend a week in a beautiful wilderness location, tech-free, deepening and broadening his entomology and natural sciences knowledge while making meaningful friendships that will last well beyond the camp." - a parent's anonymous evaluation (BBC 2.0 2025)

"It inspired me to be curious, and to pursue what I’m interested in because there are others who love what I love."- a camper's anonymous evaluation (BBC 2.0 2025)

"Kids had a wide variety of really interesting activities. A lot of camps provide superficial exposure only, but this was a great in-depth exploration of field biology. My child loved it."- a parent's anonymous evaluation (Bio Boot Camp - Mountain 2019)

"I didn't expect that each day would be completely different than the one before. I thought that (like most other lame camps) there would be days that were just a continuation of other projects started in previous days. Instead, each day was different and engaging."-a camper's anonymous evaluation (Bio Boot Camp- Mountain 2022)

Other Teen programs:
Hands-on science

https://headwatersscienceinstitute.org/ - Conduct your own research over the summer from home with the mentorship of a PhD scientist, while participating in on-line classes. This is a California-based non-profit group that helps teens engage in the scientific process from questions, data collection, analysis, presentation and writing it up. 

https://precollege.ucdavis.edu/programs 

https://cosmos.ucdavis.edu/ 

https://cty.jhu.edu/about/

Outdoor experience