School Membership Program
Benefits Package 2024–25
We invite your school to join our membership program, which progressively engages students in hands-on lab work and research projects at the cutting edge of modern biology. Each of the three levels of membership provides meaningful experiences that will have lasting effects on your school’s science and research programs. These packages of biology enrichment are available only to members.
Benefits to ALL local membership levels:
- Advance reservations for field trips—valuable access to schedule prime times
- Invitations to our “Meet a Scientist” lecture series
- Invitations to teacher professional development workshops
- Placements for teachers to audit up to two summer camps
- Laboratory and curriculum consultation
Level 1: Sustaining Membership
For local schools ▪ $3,150 per year
Bring your classes to the DNALC for half or full day hands-on laboratory field trips that align with New York State science learning standards, and conceptual coursework in Living Environment, AP Biology, and other advanced biology electives. Sustaining Membership includes:
- Three high school lab field trips, in-person or virtual at any DNALC location, including one Advanced Inquiry lab
- One middle school lab field trip
- Flat rate of $575 per class for field trips in excess of those included in membership, not including Advanced Inquiry labs
- Seat for one student in any DNALC summer camp
Current Sustaining Members are: (First year of membership follows school name.)
Dolan DNALC:
- Jericho Union Free School District (1985)
- Syosset Central School District (1985)
- Great Neck Union Free School District (1985)
- Herricks Union Free School District (1985)
- Oyster Bay-East Norwich Central School District (1985)
- Huntington Union Free School District (1986)
- Portledge School (1986)
- Port Washington Union Free School District (1986)
- Plainview-Old Bethpage Central School District (1986)
- Island Trees Union Free School District (1989)
- Roslyn Union Free School District (1990)
- Elwood Union Free School District (1997)
- Oceanside School District (1997)
- Levittown Union Free School District (1999)
- Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District (2002)
- Yeshiva University High School for Girls (2005)
DNALC NYC / Harlem DNA Lab:
- Stuyvesant High School (2021)
- Magen Daveed Yeshivah High School (2023)
Regeneron DNALC:
- Archbishop Stepinac High School (2021)
- Paterson Public Schools (2024)
Level 2: Associate Partner Membership
For local schools ▪ $17,000 per year
Help your biology programs thrive with increased project-based learning and research mentoring—delivered at your school. DNALC educators can "push into" a variety of classes to provide course-based research experiences, advanced inquiry labs in elective or AP courses, and curriculum-aligned labs in middle school science classes. Associate Partner Membership includes:
- Sustaining Membership benefits
- DNALC Relationship Manager to assist with planning and coordination
- Participation in Barcode Long Island student research program for up to 4 teams (Long Island schools)
- 10 days of customized in-school instruction that can include:
- Project-based student research experiences
- Student research mentorship in DNA barcoding, microbiomes, or human and plant genomics
- Modules that enrich existing science curricula
- Focused training and follow-up for faculty
Current Associate Partner Members are: (First year of membership follows school name.)
Dolan DNALC:
- St. Dominic High School (2012)
- Glen Cove City School District (2021)
- Friends Academy (2022)
Level 3: Partner Membership
For all schools—local/national/international ▪ $34,000 per year, minimum two-year initial commitment
Provide state-of-the-art experiments and computer analysis that will help strengthen your school’s science brand. Partner Membership can bolster existing courses or aid in redeveloping science scope and sequence to emphasize student research. A DNALC relationship manager works with school leadership to develop an enrichment program tailored to fit each of your curriculum and academic needs. Partners receive priority access to experienced DNALC staff and emerging technology funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A range of class and independent student research projects are possible—including gene cloning, human and plant genomics, DNA barcoding and metabarcoding, next-generation DNA sequencing, and big data analysis.
Instructional Benefits
Partner Members receive 20 days of customized instruction (including supplies and reagents) conducted at your school, at the DNALC in Cold Spring Harbor or New York City,* or remotely. Instruction may include:
- Customized modules to enrich science curriculum
- Course-based or project-based student research experiences
- Participation in Barcode Long Island student research program for up to 4 teams (Long Island schools)
- Week-long DNA camps during summer or winter recess
- Student research mentorships in barcoding, microbiomes, metabarcoding, and bioinformatics
- Development and co-teaching of advanced electives
- Focused training and follow-up consultation for faculty
Additional Benefits
- DNALC Relationship Manager to assist with planning and coordination
- Extended collaborative support to implement programs
- Affiliation and potential joint projects with other Partner Members
- Presentations for faculty and board members
- Assistance with lab design, and equipment or reagent purchase
- Preferred reservations for lab programs
- Faculty audit participation in any DNALC student camp.
*We endeavor to maintain comparable benefits for all Partner Members. Programs conducted outside of New York incur 3 days lab prep/shipping and travel per visit. Partner Members are billed separately for DNALC staff travel, including round-trip business class airfare, lodging at an international class hotel, and per diem meals. Programs conducted for international students visiting the DNALC are charged at 1.5 instructional days for each day of programming—to account for international trip coordination and differential costs of DNALC camp programs. Partner Members are responsible for airfare, room & board for all students attending DNALC camps.
Current Partner Members are: (first year of membership follows school name)
Dolan DNALC:
- Cold Spring Harbor Central School District (1985)
- Massapequa School District (1991)
- Long Beach City School District (1996)
DNALC NYC / Harlem DNA Lab:
- The Chapin School (2010)
- Saint David's School (2013)
- Marymount School of New York (2014)
- Lycée Français de New York (2015)
- Trevor Day School (2024)