RET Site: Nanotechnology Research Experience for Teachers

该奖项为莱斯大学工程现场教师研究经验（RET）项目提供了为期三年的持续资助，该项目名为“RET现场：教师纳米技术研究经验”，由Vicki Colvin博士指导。该工程项目的目标包括在三年的时间里，每年提高35名德克萨斯州休斯顿高中教师的科学和工程内容知识和教学技能。该网站将结合一个完整学期的春季课程（CHEM 570）和暑期实习，随后是一系列学年活动，以保持参与者彼此之间以及与莱斯大学的互动。参与者将通过开展基于实验室研究的探究性学习活动来提高中学科学教育的质量，并创建一个由高中和高等教育教师组成的社区，以激励中学生从事科学和工程方面的职业。该计划不仅旨在促进教师的专业发展，而且通过形成一个可以培训新教师的大师教师网络来扩大研究经验。由于纳米尺度上的创新发展是跨生物、物理和化学的整合，该项目将为教师提供基础科学的新见解，这也与德克萨斯州的标准保持一致，并针对服务不足的教师和学校。莱斯大学将与休斯顿独立学区（HISD）密切合作，这是一个位于德克萨斯州南部的大型城市，历史上代表性不足的少数民族学区。为期一年的RET旨在通过为学生和教师举办的社区研讨会，对科学教学产生重大影响。

This award provides funding for a three year continuing award to support 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. The objectives of this RET in Engineering Program include enhancing the science and engineering content knowledge and teaching skills of 35 Houston, Texas high school teachers each year for three years. The site will combine a full semester spring content course (CHEM 570) and summer internship, followed by a set of school year activities to keep participants engaged with each other and with Rice University. The participants will improve the quality of secondary school science education through the development of inquiry-based learning activities based on laboratory research and create a community of high school and higher education teachers that can motivate secondary students towards careers in science and engineering. The program is designed not only to facilitate teacher professional development but to scale-up the research experience by forming a network of master teachers that can train new teachers. 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 University will work closely with the Houston Independent School District (HISD), a large, urban, majority historically underrepresented minority school district in South Texas. This year long RET is designed to be scalable to have a large impact on science teaching via community workshops for students and teachers.