Forty-five students and nine educators gathered at Aggie Square in February to launch NextGen Bio, kicking off a multi-week series of STEM-based programming.

The launch followed a highly competitive application process, with 336 students representing 34 high schools and colleges across the region applying for the inaugural cohorts. Selected participants will explore how biotechnology, artificial intelligence and precision manufacturing can help address a range of challenges facing their communities, including climate change, sustainable agriculture, access to healthcare and renewable materials.

To support this work, NextGen Bio provides two immersive weekends and three weeks of hands-on science experiences over a six-month period. The program, which supports three cohorts of 15 students and three educators each, is funded by We Prosper Together, a regional workforce and economic development initiative.

To ensure students and educators can fully participate, the program provides stipends of $2,800 for students and $7,600 for educators. NextGen Bio is led by Professor Marc Facciotti of the UC Davis Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Genome Center, along with a team of UC Davis staff.

During the opening weekend, participants began building community while exploring Aggie Square and its research spaces. Highlights included:

• A welcome session introducing students to the expectations of a professional workplace
• Activities to help students get to know one another, build community across the region and foster collaboration and teamwork
• Sessions introducing the program’s goals and helping students explore pathways into biotechnology and related fields
• A crash course in computer-aided design (CAD) and rapid manufacturing, where students designed and fabricated a personal keepsake from the kickoff weekend

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