Programs
Explore educational programs developed through the UC San Diego Science Project. These initiatives provide educators with curriculum, resources, and opportunities to bring engaging, research-informed science learning into the classroom.
Climate Champions
Climate Champions is an initiative launched in 2020 by the UC San Diego Science Project (in collaboration with UC San Diego CREATE, Birch Aquarium, and Scripps Institution of Oceanography) aimed at increasing climate crisis teaching, learning, and action in local K–12 schools. The program hosts annual Design Summits to support teachers with modeling kits, curriculum resources, and researcher connections, while empowering educators to integrate local climate science and evidence-based explanations into their classrooms.
Science Media Literacy
Science Media Literacy is an initiative by the UC San Diego Science Project that helps educators teach students how to navigate and evaluate science claims across social media, news outlets, online searches, and generative AI. Aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS Practice #8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information), the program provides resources and workshops to help students assess source credibility, identify claims, and recognize tactics used to distort or deny scientific consensus.
Science of Sound and Music
The Science of Sound and Music workshops and curriculum resources are part of the Listening to Waves, a project sponsored by the National Science Foundation, seeks to inspire students to develop a deeper appreciation of both science and sound. Click the button below to access the resources on the Listening to Waves website or look below for Upcoming Events to participate.
Problem Solve Like an Expert
Full-year UC A-G Biology, Chemistry, and Physics courses, co-developed with San Diego Unified teachers, that build the problem-solving strategies scientists and engineers use into the science itself. Students learn to frame problems, brainstorm and test solutions, and troubleshoot like experts, skills that serve every career pathway.
Integrating Computer Science
The Computer Science Integration Program was a 2 year funded effort to support teachers with exploring how to integrate computer science into science instructional units that used climate and/or environmental based anchoring phenomena. Click below to access each resource and a blog post that tells the story of implementation.
Student-Centered Assessment and Science Toolkit
Professional learning resources from the San Diego County Office of Education, the UC San Diego Science Project, and the California Science Project that build K-12 teachers’ skills in designing and implementing a student-centered assessment system aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The toolkit gathers tools, processes, and resources that support educators in making student thinking visible and using evidence to guide instruction.
ATLAS Performance Task Library
ATLAS (Authentic Tasks for Learning and Assessment in Science) is California’s free, statewide library of vetted performance tasks aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). Explore the performance tasks the UC San Diego Science Project co-designed with teacher leaders and UC San Diego researchers, from tuning water-filled beakers to designing cooler communities.