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.
We are wrapping up the summer 2023 camp season and will need the fall to determine what we can offer for summer 2024. We anticipate releasing dates, fees and applications in mid-January 2024.
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 tabyang@ucdavis.edu, if you have any questions. Please use the words "Bio Boot Camp question" in the subject line.
2023 Camp Forms
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.
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. Families can apply in advance for a needs-based scholarship, or, if offered a spot in a camp, up to 10 days after the initial offer.
Here are the application forms:
Camp Descriptions & Dates
Bio Boot Camp
For students entering grades 7, 8 & 9 in fall 2024
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. This is a full day camp from 8:30 am-5:30 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday based at UC Davis. Then on Thursday morning we travel to UC Davis Bodega Bay Field Station on the coast. We return to Davis on Friday afternoon. (Monday, June 19 is the federal holiday Juneteenth and so camp this year will start the following day.)
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 Bodega Bay UC Reserve and Field Station to compare the nature and biodiversity of the Central Valley to the California coast. We stay at the field station and eat in the dining hall. We put into practice everything we learned at camp and we have a lot of fun while doing it.
Bio Boot Camp - Coastal Session
Tuesday-Wednesday: 8:30 am-5:30 pm & Thursday 8:30 am-Friday 5:30 pm
Total cost is TBD for 2024
Partial need-based scholarships are available.
Bio Boot Camp 2.0
For students entering grades 10, 11 & 12 in fall 2024
Dates are TBD for 2024
Sunday 2:00 pm -Saturday 2:00 pm (7 days, 6 nights)
Total cost is TBD for 2024
Partial need-based scholarships are available.
Quotes
"I loved this camp! It went far past all my best expectations."- a camper's anonymous evaluation (Bio Boot Camp 2016)
"It was so fun! Loved all the people & activities."- a camper's anonymous evaluation (BBC 2.0 2016)
"I was elated that BBC [2.0] had a broad view of biological topics."-a camper's anonymous evaluation (BBC 2.0 2016)
Other Teen programs:
Hands-on science
https://precollege.ucdavis.edu/programs
https://cosmos.ucdavis.edu/
https://cty.jhu.edu/about/
Outdoor experience
https://www.thesca.org/serve/choosing-program-thats-right-you (in person)