On a YouTube livestream, Berkeley City College students watch stem cells pulse and branch across their screens, transforming into neurons in real time. The cells are growing in a lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz—miles away—but these students designed the experiment themselves. They chose which compounds to add, picked the variables to track, and are now deeply invested in the outcome. This is hands-on stem cell biology, streamed into classrooms where such experiments were once unthinkable.
UC Santa Cruz researchers developed the educational platform to bring advanced biology to students who typically couldn't access it. Stem cell work is prohibitively expensive and complex—most high schools and community colleges simply can't afford the equipment or infrastructure. The Braingeneers group at the UC Santa Cruz Genomics Institute saw an opportunity to adapt research technology for the classroom, connecting cloud-based microscopes to YouTube's familiar interface, with adaptive streaming for regions with limited bandwidth.
The team is currently piloting the program at four high schools: Alisal High School in Salinas, Galileo Academy in San Francisco, Harbor High School in Santa Cruz, and Stockdale High School in Bakersfield. They also work with Berkeley City College and four schools in Peru, reaching learners across vastly different contexts—from rural California to South America.
The platform has shown measurable impact. A study published in Stem Cell Reports found that students who participated developed a stronger sense of scientific identity, with particularly positive effects for Hispanic and first-generation college students. "I think some of these students have never been exposed to these types of topics, and so they may have never imagined this is something they could do," said Samira Vera-Choqqueccota, a PhD student in the Braingeneers group and the study's first author. "The impact of this intervention for them stands out, and it's super good to see this."
The technical puzzle was significant. Human stem cells typically take weeks or months to differentiate into neurons—far too long for a classroom schedule. Vera-Choqqueccota engineered mouse stem cells that complete the process in just five days, a breakthrough that has drawn interest from other institutions seeking faster-differentiating cell lines for research. Once prepared, the experiment runs for 48 to 72 hours as a livestream, with students analyzing the results and presenting their findings when it concludes.
The engagement goes deeper than observation. After a lecture on stem cell biology, students collaborate to select which compounds to introduce as the cells differentiate—sometimes choosing substances relevant to their own lives. Students in the agricultural region of Salinas have opted to test pesticides, making the science feel immediate and personal.
"The students watch the livestream, but then it ends, and they're like, 'Can we get the videos? We want to see the videos,'" said Erika Yeh, a professor of biology. That hunger for the footage speaks to something powerful: students don't just watch the experiment. They own it.
The team, led by Genomics Institute researcher Mohammed Mostajo-Radji with engineering contributions from Professor Mircea Teodorescu and former PhD student Drew Ehrlich, hopes to scale the platform broadly. For students who never imagined themselves in a lab, the livestream offers a window—and perhaps a doorway.