- Author: Kathy Keatley Garvey
To apply, students must write a letter about why they want to attend Bio Boot Camp. Letters of recommendations are required but can be "a tad later" as students may be on spring break, says Tabatha Yang, the Bohart Museum of Entomology's education and outreach coordinator.
The camps are hosted by the Bohart Museum of Entomology in collaboration with the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, Campus Recreation and the UC Reserve System.
First, there's the Bio Boot Camp, Mountain Session, set July 25-29, for students entering grades 7-9 in the fall. The fee is $475. For those entering 10-12 grades in the fall, there's the Bio Boot Camp 2.0, set July 31-Aug. 6. The fee is $895. Need-based scholarships (partial) are available for both camps.
See website at https://bohart.ucdavis.edu/summer-camps.html. Note that COVID-19 regulations apply. They include proof of full vaccination.
Some Bio Boot Camp alumni, like Gwen Erdosh, go on to major in entomology at UC Davis, become president of the UC Davis Entomology Club and be accepted in the campuswide Research Scholars Program in Insect Biology. She draws 24,000 followers on her “Gwentomologist” Instagram account. She recently won a Provost's Undergraduate Research Fellowship, and the Dr. Stephen Garczynski Undergraduate Research Scholarship from the Pacific Branch, Entomological Society of America.
“Ever since I can remember, I have always loved caterpillars,” Gwen said. (See news story.) “As a little kid, I would collect any caterpillar I saw and raise it to adulthood.” Amazed that a caterpillar could "magically change” into a moth or butterfly, she decided “to make a book matching every caterpillar to its adult. I did my own research online and in books I had, and soon was quite knowledgeable about Lepidoptera. The summer before 9th grade, I attended Bio Boot camp, the summer camp for kids led by the Bohart Museum, and Tabatha Yang (education and outreach coordinator). “This was the experience that led me to choose entomology as a career. During this camp, I learned everything about entomology and had a chance to meet real entomologists at UC Davis, and do field work. I fell in love with it and kept coming back each summer for the camp.”
Previous applications have drawn such expressions of interest as:
- "Since kindergarten, I wanted to be an entomologist/paleontologist. I love to turn over a rock to see what is living underneath."|
- "I have been photographing butterflies and other bugs with my dad since 2018."
- "I love to study how animals behave in different environments and how it compares to humans."
- "I've never had the chance to see biology in a hands-on, outdoor environment for an extended period of time."
Some background information from the website:
"Together with the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology and Campus Recreation, we launched Bio Boot Camp in 2011, a camp for junior high-aged students who are interested in the natural sciences," Yang says on the website. "There is limited enrollment and so we ask that the students themselves be part of the enrollment process. This is a full-day camp from 8:30 am-5:30 pm on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday based at UC Davis. Then on Thursday morning we travel to a UC Reserve for an overnight experience at the UC Berkeley Sagehen Creek Field Station, just outside of Truckee in the Sierras. We return to Davis on Friday afternoon. (Alternate years they travel to the coast to Bodega Bay.)"
On Monday, they will get to know one another, play games, explore the UC Davis campus, and "go behind the scenes" at the two host museums: the Bohart Museum of Entomology and the Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology.
On Tuesday, they will visit local streams, catching insects, observing birds, and exploring nature with guest scientists.
On Wednesday, "we deep into standard museum practices from collecting data to preparing specimens, including invertebrates and vertebrates," Yang says.
The Bio Camp ends with an overnight trip (van transportation) to a UC Reserve to learn about nature and the biodiversity of the Central Valley.
Bio Boot Camp 2.0
The Bohart Museum of Entomology, UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology, and Campus Recreation launched Bio Boot Camp 2.0 in 2013 after "much enthusiasm from Bio Boot Campers who graduated out of the junior high program," according to the organizers. The camp spans 7 days and 6 nights. On the first day, vans will transport the students to UC Berkeley's Sagehen Creek Field Station outside of Truckee. There the campers will conduct a group project, engage in mini-individual projects, explore the area, and discuss college and career paths. The camp also will include "wandering hikes, exploring Lake Tahoe, silly games, and a lot of fun throughout," Yang points out. "We will be stopping at the UC Davis campus on Friday for part of the day to tour the museums and the campus before traveling to UC Davis Quail Ridge Field Station outside of Winters, CA for the last night of camp. Campers will get to compare the Sierra to the Central Valley, prepare for their presentations and have their costumed dinner party." This camp is limited to 10 students and has 3 instructors.
