RET Site: Research Experiences for Teachers in Sensor Networks

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This award provides funding for a new Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site focused on Sensor Networks at the University of North Texas. Each year 12 K-12 teachers from school districts in North Texas will participate in research projects at the university. The teachers will also develop modules related to their research which they will implement in their classes in the following school year. The teachers will organize Family Run Tech Fests to share their work with the communities around their schools. Through participation in the RET Site the teachers will have an enhanced knowledge base in engineering and computer science and the skills to translate this into their classroom practices, thus impacting their students and motivating them towards science, technology, computing, and engineering disciplines.Intellectual Merit: The intellectual merit of this project revolves around the expertise of the research team and outstanding research environment in which the teachers will work. The project is built around a prior pilot project and thus can benefit from lessons learned during the pilot. The project takes advantage of an excellent network of partner schools developed through the research and outreach of the project faculty. The research projects are compelling and are in areas of national interest. Broader Impacts: The broader impacts of this project include substantial impact on the area schools and dissemination to a broad community. Teachers will incorporate new computing and engineering topics into their classes and develop hands-on ways to impart these topics to secondary students. The teachers will also engage in public outreach to convey the concepts and appreciation of computer science and engineering to the public. Through this project, a long-term relationship between the university and the schools will be forged and cemented. A permanent video and audio link between the university and schools will be established thus enabling the partners to work together to build a foundation of outstanding computing and engineering at their partner schools and in the region.