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University of Florida Health University of Florida
Academy for Science & Careers
Precollege Programs Overview

Local Programs

The University of Florida CPET and the Alachua County Public Schools are partnering to enrich local student and teacher education in biology, biomedical and STEM fields by offering programs for middle and high school students, as well as K-12 teachers. The programs are supported by the ARP ESSER Supplemental programming grant to the Alachua County Public School District.

GatorLab Middle School Program

Gator Lab is a middle school science camp at the University of Florida in Gainesville offering a two-week summer day camp designed to provide enrichment experiences for motivated students during the summer following their 6th or 7th grade school year.

Students get hands-on experience in what science is really like by interacting with University of Florida scientists, visiting research labs, and participating in teacher-led field trips and recreational activities on campus and in the community. They learn how to observe, hypothesize, gather data, think critically, and draw conclusions about the life and science they see happening around them every day.

Gator Lab takes place on the University of Florida campus. Off-campus field trips have included places such as: Ichetucknee Springs State Park, The Museum of Science and Industry, The St. Augustine Alligator Farm and Marineland, among others.

JumpStart Biology High School Program

JumpStart Biology is a one-week, residential camp at the University of Florida to enrich and prepare high school students for their biology courses and begin preparing them for the

Students will work with UF scientists, visit research sites and labs, participate in discussions and hands-on lab exercises, and bond through social activities. Students will stay in UF dorms on campus, and social field trips may take them off campus.