RET Site: Nanotechnology Research Experience for Teachers

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators

Abstract

This award provides funding for a three year stardard award to support the continuation of a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site program at Rice University, entitled, "RET Site: Nanotechnology Research Experience for Teachers", under the direction of Dr. Vicki Colvin and Dr. Carolyn Nichol. This program will help further the educational programs developed by Rice University's NSF funded Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center (NSEC)entitled the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) and will improve upon past success continuing to pursue the university's commitment to educational outreach and science innovation. To accomplish these tasks, the project team team will connect Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) teachers who serve students in Houston, Texas, with the outstanding nanotechnology research faculty and facilities at Rice. Providing curricular, content knowledge, and pedagogical support for these teachers as they translate their research experiences into novel and exciting activities for their students, the Rice team will use a "train the trainer" approach and offer a large platform of STEM Professional Development (PD) programs that allow a total of 36 RET "master" teachers (12 per year) to disseminate RET program outcomes to more than 300 teachers per year, thereby creating a robust network of knowledgeable leaders who will then instruct traditionally underserved students in the Houston area, fostering the STEM innovators of the future. Since the innovative developments at the nanoscale are integrated across biology, physics and chemistry, this program will provide teachers with new insights on basic science that is also well-aligned with Texas State standards and targets underserved teachers and schools. Rice will work closely with the Houston Independent School District (HISD) and the Aldine Independent School District (AISD), both urban and historically underrepresented minority school districts in South Texas. HISD is the largest school district in Texas and its student population is 88% Hispanic and African American. AISD's student population is 96% Hispanic and African American. The Rice PD programs have trained more than 1200 teachers from over 34 school districts since 2006. This scalable RET will reach 900 teachers over the next 3 years, impacting about 135,000 students. In addition, the outcomes of this RET will be broadly disseminated via symposiums at Rice, national meetings, and online via the TeachEngineering digital library, Nanoscience Center for Learning and Teaching (NCLT), and the Rice Excellence in Science Curriculum website.