UCLA scientists bring real-world experiences — and pop culture — into LA classrooms

For many high school students, the term "scientist" conjures someone who doesn't look like them or share their background. The UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center High School Outreach Program sets out to change that, bringing young researchers directly into classrooms for hands-on, interactive presentations.

This spring, undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and early-career physician-scientists - participants in the center's training programs - presented to more than 400 Los Angeles-area high school students, sharing not just their research but the winding paths that led them to become stem cell researchers at UCLA.

Dr. Antoni Martija, a postdoctoral scholar in the lab of Dr. Aparna Bhaduri, used Pokémon evolution to explain how normal brain cells differ from brain cancer cells. Samuel Adubofour, an undergraduate researcher in the lab of Dr. Thomas Rando, related his work on skeletal muscle regeneration to LeBron James's ability to compete at an elite level well into his 40s.

"This outreach program gives my students a window into real, cutting-edge research," said Nicole Bottomley, a biochemistry teacher at Odyssey STEM Academy. "It bridges the gap between what they're learning in the classroom and the science that's actually shaping our world."

The UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center High School Outreach Program, launched in 2023, has now reached more than 1,200 students across five Los Angeles-area high schools.

Learn more about science beyond the textbook on the UCLA Health website.