Collaborative Research: RET Site: Research Experiences for Teachers across the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure

This three-year renewal RET Site: Collaborative Research: Research Experiences for Teachers across the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure is hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Nanoscale science and engineering is interdisciplinary and cuts across all science and engineering disciplines.

As part of the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) this program supports 12 in-service, high school and community college faculty each year. Participants will engage in high-quality, nanoscale science and engineering (NSE) hands-on research in state-of-the-art nanotechnology facilities at NNCI sites for 6 weeks during the summer.

Educators will complete a hands-on research project in NSE during the summer with continuing support during the academic year. This RET program spanning three NNCI sites allows participants access to a wider variety of NSE research than would be available at a single-site and exposes participants to the NSE needs of industry and related career opportunities across the nation.

Project activities will strengthen participants’ knowledge and understanding about broad educational, industrial, and societal NSE activities and how to motivate their students to explore STEM and NSE fields that may lead and provide them with satisfying and lifelong STEM careers.

This three-year renewal RET Site: Collaborative Research: Research Experiences for Teachers across the National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) is hosted by the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of Minnesota, and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Nanoscale science and engineering is interdisciplinary and cuts across all science and engineering disciplines.

The program offers a wide array of topics such as flexible electronics, nanomotors, batteries, environmental filtration, and medical diagnosis of diseases. With support from faculty, mentors, and RET coordinators, the RETs will develop curriculum materials to bring their NSE research back to their classrooms. During the academic year, faculty and mentors will visit the RET classrooms to assist with the implementation and further development of the curriculum modules.

This RET program spanning three NNCI sites allows participants access to a wider variety of NSE research than would be available at a single-site and exposes participants to the NSE needs of industry and related career opportunities across the nation. The objectives are to grow a multi-site cohort of educators with research experiences that reflect broad educational, industrial, and societal NSE activities; build and disseminate a library of NSE educational materials; highlight the work of NNCI cohort by attending each sites state science teaching association annual meeting; and encourage RETs to present at professional society meetings.

Webinars will be held across all participating NNCI sites to enable teachers to learn about NSE industries and careers as well as discuss their modules. The RET program promotes networking opportunities through participation in on-line presentations and webinars, a Slack group, the yearly state science teacher conferences, professional society conferences, and an in-person convocation.

This project is partially supported by the Division of Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems, the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCOR), and the Division of Engineering Education and Research Centers.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.