Research Experience for Teachers: materials science

Posted by University of Pennsylvania on March 13, 2017

With support from the National Science Foundation, this program seeks up to five high school science teachers from the Philadelphia area (we’re not limited to a certain area exactly, but teachers need to be within a commutable distance). The teachers will undertake a summer research program for six weeks from June 19 through July 28, 2017 and each will be assigned to a senior investigator associated with the LRSM. The program also comes with a $5,000 stipend.

Research Experience for Teachers (RET)
A program for Research Experience for Teachers from schools in the Delaware Valley was started in 1999. Teachers spend 6 weeks working on an individual research project under the supervision of a graduate student or post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of an LRSM -associated faculty member. At the end of the program the teacher must make an oral presentation of his/her findings and also submit a research paper before leaving the program.

Research Experience for Teachers 2017

With support from the National Science Foundation, this program seeks up to five high school science teachers from the Delaware Valley region. The teachers will undertake a summer research program for six weeks from June 19 through July 28, 2017 and each will be assigned to a senior investigator in five of our IRG or Seed programs within the PENN MRSEC. It is proposed that each teacher learn a specific instrumental technique that is seminal to the research interests of the group, e.g. x-ray diffraction or scanning electron microscopy, which he/she will use to conduct a short research assignment pertinent to the goals of the group.

During the first week the teachers will be given instruction on laboratory safety and a mini course on materials science that will cover most of the major classes of materials: metals, polymers, ceramics, semiconductors, and biomaterials plus an overview of the major characterization techniques used in the MRSEC. This will include tours and demonstrations of the MRSEC’s Shared Experimental Facilities. Instruction will also be given on research methodology.

Each teacher will be expected to present a short oral report on his/her research activity during the last week of the program and also to submit a short, written report. Teachers will be expected to return to the LRSM at the start of the following summer to informally discuss their experiences throughout the year with the incoming class of teachers.

Application deadline April 15

http://www.lrsm.upenn.edu/outreach/ret/