🧬 2025 AP Biology Enrichment Camp

🚀 Get Ahead This Summer in AP Biology!

Give your student a powerful advantage before the school year begins! This dynamic summer course is expertly designed to prepare incoming AP Biology students for success in one of the most challenging college-level high school science classes. Through a blended learning experience that combines engaging self-paced online content with live instruction twice a week, students will build a strong foundation in the most critical AP Biology topics.

Each week includes targeted lessons, interactive discussions, and practice with AP-style exam questions to reinforce understanding and build test-taking skills. Students will also complete weekly assessments to track progress and strengthen retention—ensuring they don’t just memorize content, but truly master it.

Perfect for motivated students who want to hit the ground running in the fall, this course delivers the confidence, clarity, and academic momentum needed to excel in AP Biology and beyond.

💵 Cost: $399.99 | 📅 Registration: May 15 – July 3, 2025

Camp Dates: July 7 – August 15, 2025
Live Sessions: Tuesdays: 7:00 P.M. – 8:30 P.M. EST | Saturdays: 11:00 A.M. – 12:30 P.M. EST

📚 Course Breakdown

Week 1 (July 7–13): Foundations of Life – Water, Elements, and Macromolecules

• Lesson 1: Water & Hydrogen Bonding– The Molecule and Interactions that Makes Life Possible (Tuesday July 8 @ 7 PM EST)
  Water’s unique properties come from its polar structure and ability to form hydrogen bonds between molecules. These interactions give water a high specific heat, cohesion, adhesion, surface tension, and the ability to dissolve many substances, making it an ideal medium for life. Hydrogen bonding is also critical in maintaining the structure of macromolecules like DNA and proteins, making water essential not just for survival, but for the structure and function of all living systems.

• Lesson 2: Biological Macromolecules – Elements, Structure, and Function (Saturday July 12 @ 11 AM EST)
  Life is built from a small group of essential elements—carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur (CHONPS)—that form the basis of biological macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. These macromolecules are made of monomers (like amino acids or nucleotides) linked by dehydration synthesis and broken apart by hydrolysis. The structure of each macromolecule determines its function, and even slight changes in structure can drastically affect the role it plays in cells and organisms.

Week 2 (July 14–20): Macromolecules in Action – Energy, Structure, and Information

• Lesson 3: Carbohydrates and Lipids – Energy and Structure in Biological Systems (Tuesday July 15 @ 7 PM EST)
  Carbohydrates are made of monosaccharides (simple sugars) and serve as quick energy sources and structural materials. Polysaccharides like starch, glycogen, and cellulose differ in structure and function—starch and glycogen store energy, while cellulose provides structural support in plant cell walls. Lipids are hydrophobic molecules used for long-term energy storage, insulation, and building cell membranes. Fats (triglycerides) are made of glycerol and three fatty acids, while phospholipids form the bilayer of membranes, and steroids act as signaling molecules like hormones. Their varied structures support their diverse biological functions.

• Lesson 4: Proteins and Nucleic Acids – Function Through Structure (Saturday July 19 @ 11 AM EST)
  Proteins are made of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds and fold into complex three-dimensional shapes that determine their specific function. Protein functions include enzymatic activity, structural support, transport, signaling, and immune response. Their structure is organized into four levels: primary, secondary, tertiary, and sometimes quaternary. Nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) are composed of nucleotide monomers, which include a sugar, phosphate group, and nitrogenous base. DNA stores genetic information with complementary base pairing (A-T, G-C), while RNA helps in protein synthesis and uses uracil (U) instead of thymine. The sequence of nucleotides encodes instructions that guide all cellular activities.

Week 3 (July 21st to July 27th): Inside the Cell – Structure, Function, and Control

• Lesson 5: Subcellular Components – The Organization Inside Cells (Tuesday July 22 @ 7 PM EST)
  Cells contain specialized structures called organelles, each with a unique function that contributes to the overall operation of the cell. In eukaryotic cells, key organelles include the nucleus (DNA storage), mitochondria (ATP production), ribosomes (protein synthesis), endoplasmic reticulum (protein and lipid processing), Golgi apparatus (modification and packaging), lysosomes (digestion), and vacuoles (storage). Chloroplasts carry out photosynthesis in plant cells. The plasma membrane regulates what enters and exits the cell, and cytoskeleton components like microtubules provide structure and aid in movement. These components work together to maintain cellular function and homeostasis.

• Lesson 6: Plasma Membranes – Gatekeepers of the Cell (Saturday July 26 @ 11 AM EST)
  The plasma membrane is a selectively permeable barrier that surrounds all cells, regulating the movement of substances in and out. It is composed of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins, cholesterol, and carbohydrates that contribute to fluidity, signaling, and structural support. Transport proteins allow specific molecules to cross, either passively (diffusion, facilitated diffusion) or actively (using ATP). This dynamic structure, described by the fluid mosaic model, is essential for maintaining homeostasis, communication, and environmental response in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

Week 4 (July 28–August 3): Catalysts and Energy – How Cells Work and Power Themselves

• Lesson 7: Enzymes – The Catalysts of Life (Tuesday July 29 @ 7 PM EST)
  Enzymes are specialized proteins that speed up biological reactions by lowering activation energy, allowing essential processes to occur more efficiently. Each enzyme has a specific active site that fits compatible substrates through an induced fit mechanism. Enzyme activity is influenced by temperature, pH, and substrate concentration, and can be regulated or disrupted by inhibitors or denaturation, which can alter or stop their function.

• Lesson 8: ATP and Glycolysis – Fueling the Cell (Saturday August 2 @ 11 AM EST)
  ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the primary energy currency of the cell, releasing energy when its phosphate bonds are broken. Glycolysis is the first step in cellular respiration and occurs in the cytoplasm, breaking down glucose into two pyruvate molecules. This process does not require oxygen and yields a net gain of 2 ATP and NADH, providing quick energy and molecules for the next stages of respiration.

Week 5 (August 4–10): Photosynthesis – From Sunlight to Sugar

• Lesson 9: Light-Dependent Reactions – Capturing Energy from Sunlight (Tuesday August 5 @ 7 PM EST) 
  The light-dependent reactions take place in the thylakoid membranes of the chloroplast, where chlorophyll absorbs sunlight to drive the electron transport chain. Light energy is used to split water molecules, releasing oxygen and producing ATP and NADPH, which provide the energy and electrons needed for the Calvin Cycle. This process is known as photophosphorylation.

• Lesson 10: The Calvin Cycle – Building Sugars Without Light (Saturday August 9 @ 11 AM EST)
  The Calvin Cycle, also called the light-independent reactions, occurs in the stroma of the chloroplast. It uses ATP and NADPH from the light-dependent reactions to fix carbon dioxide into glucose. The cycle regenerates its starting molecule, RuBP, and relies on chemical energy rather than direct sunlight to power sugar synthesis.

Week 6 (August 11–17): Harvesting Energy – The Pathway of Cellular Respiration

• Lesson 11: The Krebs Cycle – Extracting Energy in the Mitochondria (Tuesday August 12 @ 7 PM)
  The Krebs Cycle (also known as the citric acid cycle) takes place in the mitochondrial matrix and is a key step in aerobic respiration. It processes acetyl-CoA derived from pyruvate, producing NADH, FADH₂, ATP, and carbon dioxide as a waste product. This cycle generates high-energy electron carriers that power the electron transport chain, making it essential for efficient ATP production.

• Lesson 12: Electron Transport Chain – Powering ATP Production (Saturday August 16 @ 11 AM EST)
  The electron transport chain (ETC) takes place in the inner mitochondrial membrane and uses high-energy electrons from NADH and FADH₂ to pump protons across the membrane, creating a proton gradient. This gradient powers ATP synthase, an enzyme that produces large amounts of ATP through oxidative phosphorylation. Oxygen acts as the final electron acceptor, forming water and allowing the ETC to continue running efficiently.

🎓 Ready to Register?

Spots are limited to 10 students and registration closes July 3, 2025.  Give your student the academic edge with this comprehensive summer prep course!