UC Davis Pre-College Program: Environmental Toxicology

This engaging, hands-on program is designed to give you experience working in a university lab on a college-level experiment. With guidance from the instructor and UC Davis teaching assistants, you’ll be exploring an interesting research question you might encounter in environmental toxicology courses.

Your research objective will be to explore the effects of toxic chemical exposure on two organisms: guppies and honey bees.

• Apply the scientific method to postulate a research question that could be used at a university level research project
• Familiarize with scientific terminology used in the toxicology field
• Use RNA extractions from exposed organisms to generate cDNA for gene expression experiments
• Learn how to use online databases to identify genomes, genes and protein sequences
• Use modern open-source bioinformatics software to design primers to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate gene expression
• Get trained on conducting gene expression experiments and analyzing results via agarose gel electrophoresis
• Learn how to interpret and connect your findings to your scientific question to postulate true scientific statements that will lead research forward
• Learn how to design follow-up experiments through peer collaborative work
• Connect with and build a scientific network of mentors to help guide you in your future research endeavors

If you’re interested in an emerging field of scientific study, the UC Davis Pre-College Program in Environmental Toxicology is an unparalleled opportunity to get first-hand experience in the field and to explore its applications and possible educational and career opportunities.