Applications Open! Enroll for Summer 2027 at 2026 Tuition Pricing Until Sept 30
Investigate pathogens and propose a public-health solution in this 3-week microbiology program for middle school students on UCLA’s campus.
Seats are limited, and this course may sell out for summer 2027. Enroll early to save your seat.
Course Description
Why do some microbes cause disease while others support human health? Students begin by building a microbiology timeline and testing how easily simulated germs move between surfaces. They examine bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, immune responses, and the microbiome through research, games, cases, and presentations.
Activities make the science active. Students design a handwashing protocol, map immune cells involved in different disorders, adopt and profile a microbe, practice patient-history questions, investigate antibiotic resistance, and diagnose zoonotic or parasitic infections from case evidence. Disease-transmission and herd-immunity simulations connect individual choices with patterns across a population.
A four-part capstone asks each student to identify a challenge involving infectious disease, microbiome research, or biotechnology. Students research the opportunity, propose and compare three solutions, consider pathophysiology and public-health implications, and create a final presentation with visual aids. Peer response and self-reflection help them evaluate both the scientific content and the clarity of their communication.
This three-week course is part of Summer Discovery’s Institute for the Gifted program on UCLA’s campus. The course is available to residential and commuter students. Beyond class, students connect focused academic exploration with campus life, growing confidence and independence, and clearer direction about interests students may want to explore next.
What Will You Do?
• Build a timeline of discoveries that shaped modern microbiology
• Test handwashing methods and model how germs spread through a population
• Compare bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites, immune responses, and the microbiome
• Diagnose infectious-disease cases using patient histories and scientific evidence
• Investigate antibiotic resistance, vaccines, zoonoses, and beneficial bacteria
• Propose and present a microbial solution with public-health implications
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
• Compare major pathogen groups, transmission routes, treatments, and immune responses
• Analyze case and simulation evidence to explain infection and disease spread
• Propose and present a researched solution to a microbiology or public-health challenge
Students will leave with research checkpoints and a visual capstone presentation, useful exposure to medical microbiology, and a clearer sense of which health-science questions they want to explore next.
Why Microbiology Skills Matter
Medical microbiology helps students connect tiny organisms with visible effects on people and communities. Comparing bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites builds classification skills, while patient cases require students to select evidence that supports a diagnosis. Transmission models show how one interaction can affect a larger population.
Researching treatments and public-health choices also teaches students to separate a scientific claim from a misconception. They practice weighing sources, explaining mechanisms, and considering ethical tradeoffs. These habits strengthen middle-school science, health literacy, problem-solving, and communication while showing why careful evidence matters when a topic affects real people.
Who Should Attend?
This course is for middle school students who have completed 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and are curious about germs, immunity, disease outbreaks, medicine, biotechnology, or public health. It fits students who enjoy asking why an illness spreads, how a treatment works, or when a microbe can be helpful.
Participants should be ready to research unfamiliar organisms, discuss health scenarios respectfully, collaborate on simulations and debates, create visual explanations, and revise a capstone after feedback. Curiosity, careful source use, and active participation are the most important preparation.
Why UCLA?
UCLA gives middle-school students an energetic place to learn, have fun, and experience campus life in Los Angeles. The setting brings together science, technology, creativity, entertainment, and culture, helping new subjects feel connected to a wider world of ideas.
The program combines hands-on academics with friendships, campus activities, clear routines, and support as students become comfortable in a large university environment. Students can try new challenges, share interests with peers, and build confidence through participation without needing to decide where those interests will lead. For families, UCLA offers a structured middle-school experience that balances substantive learning with fun, community, and age-appropriate independence. Students leave with new memories and a clearer sense of what they may want to explore next.
Summer Discovery Certificate of Completion
After successfully finishing this course, you will be awarded a certification of completion for your accomplishment.
*This is a preview, not what you will receive
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