Teachers will be paired with a Faculty Mentor and Graduate Student Researcher along with one other RET. In addition to hands-on research experience, the program includes personal and professional development workshops and seminars. Participants will be in the labs for roughly 20 hours a week to learn about lab protocols, lab safety, and how research looks and feels within a university setting. The deliverables for the program are creating a research-based piece of curriculum aligned with 9-12 curricula to engage students in applying their learning to real-world problems, producing and presenting scientific results, and gaining critical tools to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers! 

Program Goals

1. To provide middle school teachers with a background and first-hand experience in the design, methods, and analysis of research associated with engineering.
2. To reinforce the value of incorporating scientific inquiry in the context of their school STEM curricula.
3. To provide teachers with the tools, experiences, and ongoing relationships with career scientists, engineering, and fellow teachers that will enable them to share with their students the latest developments in STEM fields and inspire their students with a desire to learn more about science and engineering and their related career paths.