Summer at WSU - Engineering Experiences for Teachers

Washington State University, Pullman WA

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funding for a 3 year continuing award to support a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site program at Washington State University (WSU) entitled, "Summer at WSU-Engineering Experiences for Teachers," under the direction of Dr. Richard Zollars. This program is a renewal of a successful RET Site. A total of 36 in-service and pre-service middle and high school teachers (12 per year for three years) will participate in a six-week long summer institute during which they will work in the research laboratories of engineering faculty at WSU. The site activities will be focused in the area of bioengineering and will help integrate research in one of the most rapidly increasing areas of activity in engineering into the K-12 educational system. This site program will have a broader impact on groups currently underrepresented in engineering. Long term relationships developed during this program via the teams of teachers, mentor's visits to schools, and/or the use of the materials developed during this program will insure that the RET program will have a lasting impact in the participating school districts.