RET Site on Bio-Inspired Technology and Systems (BITS)

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"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)." This award provides funding for a 3 year standard award to support a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site program at Michigan State University (MSU) entitled, "RET Site on Bio-Inspired Technology and Systems (BITS)", under the direction of Dr. Xiaobo Tan. This RET Site program aims to establish a strong partnership between MSU, the hosting institution, the NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Wireless Integrated MicroSystems (WIMS), the co-hosting institution, school districts, and industry on advancing pre-college science and engineering education, by training a cadre of leaders of middle and high school teachers in the areas of STEM. The three year program will provide a 7 week summer experience for a total of 26 middle and high school STEM teachers from Holt Public Schools, Utica Community Schools, and the Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (DAPCEP). These teachers will be given the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research on BITS, with "one-on-one" mentoring from engineering faculty. Working with PIs, faculty mentors, and a teacher development specialist from the College of Education, teachers will also develop innovative, standards-compliant curriculum modules and participate in a number of professional development activities: workshops, seminars, and field trips to industry and national labs. Extensive follow-up activities are planned throughout the academic year to ensure translation of the lab experience to classroom practice and to foster and strengthen long-term partnerships between engineering faculty and teachers. The Site will also engage industrial partners to explore a potentially sustainable paradigm for RET that is supported primarily by industry. This Site is expected to enrich the professional development of a number of future leaders in STEM education, result in innovative curriculum for science and technology courses, and most importantly, peak the interest of middle and high school students in scientific inquiry.