The application cycle for 2025 has closed
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Brain Camp 2025 will take place July 14 - 25
Camp Hours are 9am-4pm
Camp Info
UCI Brain Camp is a summer program for middle and high school students that offers an opportunity for immersion in neuroscience. The 2-week full-day camp (9am-4pm) will feature lectures and seminars, workshops, laboratory tours, dissections and other hands-on activities and experiments.
- Explore topics such as:
- Brain and spinal cord anatomy
- Sensation and perception
- Learning and memory
- Brain-machine interface
- Neuropathology
- Neuropharmacology
- Comparative neuroanatomy
- Participate in hands-on laboratory work to explore the latest tools, techniques and technologies that are used in neuroscience laboratories at UC Irvine including:
- Electrophysiology
- Brain Imaging
- Animal models
- Optogenetics
- DREADDs
- Participate in workshops on topics such as:
- Experimental design
- Data analysis
- Scientific Communication and public speaking
- Neuroethics
- Interact with world-renowned neuroscience professors, PhD students and undergraduates to gain insight into college life and the possible careers in neuroscience.
- Develop the tools and skills necessary for success in college coursework.
During the second week of the program, students will design experiments, analyze data and present their work to their families as well as to an audience of UC Irvine neuroscience faculty and students.
Registration Fee
$2195.00 - Includes camp fee, camp shirt, snack, lunch and all materials.
Refund Policy
Refunds will be accepted up until 30 days before the first day of camp, minus a 20% processing fee. Refunds requested within 30 days before the first day of camp will be granted a 50% refund. No refunds will be granted within 14 days before the first day of camp, unless a replacement can be found in which case a refund will be granted minus a 20% processing fee.
Scholarship Opportunity
The UCI Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory is thankful for the generous support of the Friends of the CNLM. This avid group of supporters has made it possible for the Center to offer need-based scholarships for the 2025 Brain Camp. Scholarship applications will open soon. Scholarships will be awarded on a rolling basis through May.
Meet the Brain Camp Team
Manuella Oliveira Yassa, Ph.D.
Brain Boss
Dr. Manuella Oliveira Yassa earned her Bachelor's Degree in Neuroscience from The Johns Hopkins University and her Master's and Doctoral Degrees in Social Ecology with a focus on science education at UC Irvine. Prior to joining UCI as Director of Outreach and Education, Manuella taught middle school science in Baltimore City where she fell in love with neuroscience education. Manuella founded UCI Brain Camp in 2019 as the only neuroscience summer camp in Orange County and one of only a handful in the world. In addition to her roles at UCI, Manuella serves on the Education Advisory Committee for the Irvine Unified School District and co-director of the USA Brain Bee.
Ph: (949) 824-5193 | Email: manuella.yassa@uci.edu | Office: 309 QRL
Morgan Coburn, Ph.D.
Assistant Director, Office of Outreach and Education
Ph.D and M.S., University of California, Irvine
B.A., Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley
Dr. Morgan Coburn earned her Bachelor's degree in Neuroscience and Behavior at Mount Holyoke College. She then returned to Southern California to complete her Master's and Doctorate degrees in Biological Sciences at UCI. Her doctoral research focused on human microglial dynamics in Alzheimer's Disease. Morgan then completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Virginia before returning to the CNLM as our Outreach and Education Fellow and Assistant Director of UCI Brain Camp. In her role, she works to advance the Outreach and Education mission of the CNLM to create accessible, equitable, and high-quality learning experiences in partnership with communities.
Email: macoburn@uci.edu
Erin M. Purvis, Ph.D.
Civic Science Fellow
Erin completed her Bachelor’s degree in Biopsychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and her Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania. As a Civic Science Fellow at the CNLM, she is working to strengthen mutually beneficial partnerships between UCI researchers and the local community.
Email: epurvis@uci.edu
Raymond D. Villareal, Ed.S., NCSP
Outreach and Education Assistant
Ed.S. and M.Ed., College of William and Mary
B.A., University of California, Irvine
Raymond Villareal earned his Bachelor's degree in Psychology and Social Behavior at UC Irvine followed by his Master's in Education at William & Mary. He then served as a psychometrist and school psychologist for low-income students and incarcerated adults throughout Texas and Virginia. Raymond is currently a PhD student in the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior where his research explores the effects of trauma on executive functioning and learning. Through advocacy and research, Raymond aims to improve access and educational outcomes for underrepresented minorities and low-income students.
Ph: (949) 824-5193 | Email: rdvillar@uci.edu | Office: 320 QRL
