The year at a glance.
We meet on the UC Davis campus most Wednesdays, 3 to 5 pm, through the school year. Here is the rhythm of the year, quarter by quarter, plus field trips, breaks, and how to get to campus. The location can vary week to week, so we send the specific room to students by email, along with exact dates as they are confirmed.
How the year works
The program follows one project across the whole school year, in three stages: Fall — plan your research, Winter — conduct it and document the project, and Spring — communicate it. It builds to the UC Davis EnvironMentors Science Fair in the spring, and a top group goes on to the GCSE International Science Fair in early June.
Before we start: recruitment & enrollment
August through the first meeting
The high school year starts in mid-August, and through August and September we recruit students and mentors and get everyone's paperwork together: student sign-up and photo-release forms, and background checks and any required training for the mentors.
Deadline to join: September 16, 2026 — one week before we start. That final week is for getting waivers signed and, for mentors, finishing any required training, so everyone is ready for our first session, with everyone together, on Wednesday, September 23, 2026.
Fall — plan the research
Late September to early December
We kick off on September 23 with a campus tour and a low-key social, meet mentors, and at the Project Fair you choose your research project. Then we build your research plan together, and the quarter ends with a Fall showcase on December 2, where every student presents their plan.
Fall field trip: a Saturday outing, date and destination to be announced (likely the Yolo Bypass or the Delta).
Winter — do the research
January to early March
We return on Wednesday, January 13. This is when you run your experiments and collect your data, and document the project. The quarter ends with a Winter Film Festival on March 10, where we watch everyone's videos together and celebrate.
Winter field trip: a Saturday trip, date and destination to be announced (see Field trips below).
Spring — share what you found
Late March to early June
We come back on March 31 to analyze data, build a research poster, and practice presenting. The big event is the UC Davis EnvironMentors Science Fair in the first week of May, where every student presents their work. A top group then goes on to the GCSE International Science Fair in early June (location to be determined), with travel covered.
Spring field trip: a Saturday at Lake Tahoe and the UC Davis TERC science center on the lake, for hands-on water science (date announced during the year — stay tuned).
Field trips
We run about three field trips a year, one per quarter, on Saturdays. Exact dates are set and announced during the year, so stay tuned. Planned and possible destinations:
- Fall: to be announced — likely the Yolo Bypass or the Delta
- Winter: to be announced, for example the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory or the California Academy of Sciences
- Spring: Lake Tahoe and the UC Davis TERC science center, water science on the lake
These are relaxed days to get out, do real science, and bond as a group.
Breaks (no meetings)
Handy for planning your calendar. We do not meet on:
- November 11 (Veterans Day) and November 25 (Thanksgiving week)
- Winter break — no meetings from the December 2 fall showcase until we return January 13
- Mid-to-late March — a pause between the winter and spring quarters (winter ends March 10, spring starts March 31)
- April 7 (Woodland school spring break)
In the spring a few Wednesdays may shift around school sports like track; your mentor will work around your schedule.
Getting to UC Davis
We meet on the UC Davis campus, so getting to Davis is the one thing students arrange. A few options:
- Drive yourself: there is parking on and around campus; we send parking details before the first session.
- Public bus: Yolobus connects Woodland and UC Davis. Route 42 runs throughout the day between Woodland and the Davis campus, and some commuter routes run at peak hours. Check current times for your stop at yolobus.com or in Google Maps transit directions.
- Carpool: families often coordinate rides, and we are happy to help connect people.
We do not currently provide transportation, but we hope to in the future. If getting to Davis is the only thing keeping you from joining, please reach out and we will do our best to help make it work.
Questions about the schedule? Get in touch and we will help.