Paleontology Academy - California

Paleontology Academy California invites high school students to spend two immersive weeks exploring the dynamic intersections of marine life, geology, and deep time along the Northern California coast. This blended program combines field-based exploration with paleontological discovery in the Monterey and Bay Area regions. Students will examine living coastal ecosystems, compare extant species with their extinct counterparts, and investigate how shoreline environments have shifted through geologic time. Behind-the-scenes tours at institutions such as the UC Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley and the Monterey Bay Aquarium connect participants directly with active research, collections work, and the scientific community. Throughout the program, students build skills in observation, scientific reasoning, and conceptualizing long-term ecological and geological change.