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2009 Summer Institutes and Research Experience for
Teachers (RET) Programs at Northwestern University

Research Experience for Teachers programs (RETs) are National Science Foundation-funded opportunities for teachers to work side by side with university scientists and engineers in their labs, enabling teachers to expand on their understanding of STEM topics and bring a fresh perspective back to their classrooms. RETs are about eight weeks long and generally offer stipends in the $8,000-$9,000 range. Housing on campus may be available.

For more information about RETs across the country, please visit the RET Network. For more on the RET experience, here is an interesting article about one teacher’s experience in an RET at Northwestern.

Center or Department(s)	Program Information	Deadline	URL
NU Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center	During this summer RET, participants learn about nanotechnology and engage in hands-on nanotechnology-related research under the mentorship of center faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. Weekly group meetings, laboratory tours and seminars broaden the experience. Participants also work with the program director and their mentors to develop innovative curricular projects that introduce nanotechnology concepts for the classroom and companion assessment tools. Final projects are presented and tested at the close of the program. During the subsequent school year, assistance is provided during the presentation of the classrooms projects for the first time.	2/28/09	http://www.nsec.northwestern.edu/RET.htm
American Society of Mechanical Engineering, Northwestern University, NU Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center, NU Center for Surface Engineering and Tribology, NU Materials Research Center, and NU National Center for Learning and Teaching in Nanoscale Science and Engineering.	Nanomechanics, Nanomaterials and Micro/Nanomanufacturing is a four-day summer institute on multiscale science-based modeling and simulation and experimental validation on enabling materials, May 27 to 30. The short course will first cover science-based modeling and simulation methods for general classes of enabling materials. This will be followed by examining more focused applications such as multifunctional materials for sensing, device fabrication, manipulation, medicine and biology. We have assembled an international team of six instructors who are leaders in the field. Thanks to the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF), a limited number of NSF fellowships are available to faculty members, high school science teachers, postdocs and PhD candidates from the U.S. The fellowship consists of the full registration fee plus an accommodation allowance.	3/1/09	http://tam.northwestern.edu/summerinstitute/Home.htm
Materials Research Science and Engineering Center	The Center provides a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program each summer. Middle school, high school and community college teachers are eligible to apply. The participating teachers engage in research, develop a network of scientific colleagues, learn scientific and technological developments, and discover ways to transfer this knowledge to the classroom. Teachers are matched up with a center faculty based on research interests. For an overview of Center research, please view the MRSEC research and highlights web sites. A list of some previous projects is available. At the end of the program, the teachers are asked to develop a short curriculum project that is based on their research and that they can take back to their classrooms. Some summer projects will be mostly research, while others have larger educational components. The eight-week RET program participants receive a $8,500 stipend and have opportunities to earn six graduate level credits through a partnership with National Louis University. Funds are available for travel expenses and housing for teachers who are coming from outside the Chicagola area. The participants conduct hands-on cutting-edge research for eight weeks and write a technical paper at the end. The teachers also give a 15-minute presentation at the closing symposium that is open to the public. Other activities include a field trip to a national lab or an industrial research site and seminars by Northwestern faculty. Center research topics include polymers, gels, nanocomposites, nanoparticles, molecular electronics, transparent conductors, plasmonics and multiferroics. In addition, collaborative work is pursued with the Art Institute of Chicago and with the Chicago Botanic Garden. For an overview of Center research, please view the MRSEC research and highlights web sites. A list of some previous projects is available.	3/16/09	http://www.mrsec.northwestern.edu/content/educational_programs/ret.htm

Last Updated: 2009-02-25 16:20:40

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