The Lawrence Hall of Science at the University of California at Berkeley is home to SEPUP. The Lawrence Hall of Science develops model programs for teaching and learning science and mathematics, and it disseminates these to an ever-increasing audience. It is a resource center for children, parents, educators, and policymakers seeking to improve the understanding and increase the enjoyment of science and mathematics.

SEPUP began in 1983 as a not-for-profit project to develop hands-on materials about chemicals and their use for schools and community groups.

It was initially called CEPUP (Chemical Education for Public Understanding Program). In 1987 CEPUP received its first funding from the National Science Foundation to develop twelve issue-oriented modules on topics such as water pollution, household chemicals, and food additives. As the mission of the project expanded in 1992 to include other scientific disciplines and the development of year-long courses for the middle grades, the name of the project changed to SEPUP (Science Education for Public Understanding Program.) In recent years, SEPUP has been completing a middle school sequence and revising the SEPUP Modules. Future plans include expansion of SEPUP’s offerings for the high school.

Since its establishment, SEPUP has been supported by grants from public agencies and by contributions from private foundations and industry. The National Science Foundation is currently the primary funding source for SEPUP curricular materials development. SEPUP is responsible for the content, approach, and testing of all materials and programs.