About the Lawrence Hall of Science

LHS is the University of California at Berkeley’s public science center, fostering understanding and enjoyment of science and mathematics for audiences of all ages. LHS has developed expertise and experience in communicating science to the public through exhibits, school programs, instructional materials, professional development and public programs for more than 35 years. The body of LHS work in informal and formal education includes development of dozens of exhibitions, twelve published curricula used by more than 20% of the nation’s K-12 students, and hundreds of programs for students and teachers. LHS programs capitalize on a multi-faceted, rigorous approach to public understanding of science.

LHS is recognized for its expertise in instructional materials development for the K–12 audience. LHS was a pioneer in the inquiry-driven, direct experience approach to pre-college science instruction, and has successfully conducted numerous federal, state and privately funded projects, including the Full Option Science System (FOSS), the Science Education for Public Understanding Program (SEPUP), the EQUALS/Family Math programs, and Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS). These programs are in wide use in every U.S. state as well as internationally and represent a significant contribution to pre-college science and math education.

Presently LHS employs over 360 full-time and part-time staff organized in four programmatic divisions and one administrative division. The programmatic divisions are:

Curriculum, Research and Development:
Comprised of eleven LHS units primarily focused on the development of instructional materials. These translate years of experience, research, theory and the National Standards into compelling and effective learning experiences in science and mathematics for children, parents and educators.

The mission and approach to developing materials in these units contain important themes emphasizing the following:

strong and accurate science/math content
pedagogical rigor
objective and systematic trial testing of materials with the intended audience
working with teachers as development partners
imaginative ways of communicating challenging concepts
being responsive to the needs identified in the field
a commitment to developing materials that work with students of all backgrounds

Public Programs Division:
This Division develops and creates original and engaging exhibitions, museum programs and public activities to increase public understanding of science, math and technology. The Division is responsible for the complete visitor experience at LHS, from the moment a potential visitor becomes aware of LHS through marketing and public relations, to the amenities and customer service that visitors receive when at LHS.

The Public Programs Division serves school-age children, their schools, and their families as its primary audiences. Of the more than 250,000 individuals, students and teachers who visit LHS each year, 60,000 are school-age children, mostly preschool through grade 6, visiting LHS for field trips, summer camps, after-school classes, or to participate in one of the more than 2,100 separate school programs offered on-site at LHS annually.

Student and Family Programs Division:
The Student and Family Programs division serves 375,000 students in preschool through grade 12 each year throughout California and Nevada with programs in mathematics, computers, and all areas of science (physical, earth & space, life, and marine). Among the programs offered are workshops; multi-session courses; whole-school assemblies, festivals, and Science Discovery Theatre performances; after-school classes; summer residential and day camps (see Summer Camps); weekend workshops; planetarium shows; discovery labs; Summer Science Fundays and Saturday Night Stargazing. Most programs are available both at schools and at LHS.

Teacher and Leadership Programs Division:
The Teacher and Leadership Programs division coordinates the efforts of several large grant-funded initiatives. The division also provides customized professional development experiences to individual schools and districts based on their particular needs. These customized services, which include summer institutes, inservices, coaching, consulting, and demonstration teaching, often lead to ongoing partnerships and new grant-funded initiatives.

LHS coordinates its programs and resources to address specific needs identified by educators, administrators, parents and policy makers. LHS has created three centers to maximize the impact of LHS beyond any one Division: The Center for School Change, The Center for Curriculum Innovation and The Public Science Center. In the Hall’s highly collaborative environment, most programs make contributions to all three centers.