RET in Engineering and Computer Site: Nanotechnology Research Experiences for Teachers at FIU

该奖项为佛罗里达国际大学（FIU）的一个为期三年的标准奖项提供资金，以支持一个名为“工程和计算机科学领域的教师研究经验（RET）： FIU教师的纳米技术研究经验”的项目，该项目由Masoud Milani博士和Laird Kramer博士指导。FIU的工程与计算学院（CEC）及其工程与计算多样性中心（CDEC）与艺术学院、科学学院和教育学院合作，提议建立一个RET网站，每年招聘16名初中和高中STEM教师，为期3年（总共48名教师），并将让他们参加为期6周的动手综合暑期研究项目，并进行学年跟踪。旨在增加他们对纳米技术最新进展的认识，并使他们能够根据他们的研究成果和活动开发新的STEM K-12课程。该网站的招聘活动将集中在迈阿密-戴德县公立学校（M-DCPS），这是全国第四大学区，拥有超过34万名学生，其中近90%是历史上代表性不足的少数民族（65%的西班牙裔，24.5%的黑人），拥有435所学校，超过2万名教师。在纳米技术专家的指导下，项目参与者将在夏季为期6周的时间内完成他们的研究项目，并将参加贯穿整个学年的后续活动，在这些活动中，项目参与者将讨论他们如何利用他们的研究知识和经验，在他们的研究项目中开发的课程以及他们的课堂经验。随后，后续会议的结果将用于加强目标课程。作为该项目的一部分，教师们将参与推进纳米技术知识和理解的研究项目，同时致力于课程开发，促进对在STEM K-12教育中引入工程研究相关思想，特别是纳米技术思想的方法的理解。通过提供先进的工程和STEM教育背景，该项目将把参与的教师培养成为迈阿密戴德县公立学校高需求学校提高STEM教育的持久推动力。这将导致参与者在STEM教育方面取得重大进展，并为他们往往代表性不足的社区提供服务。该项目还将深入了解FIU与全国第四大学区之间的有效合作关系。

This award provides funding for a three year standard award to support a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science Site program at Florida International University (FIU) entitled, "RET in Engineering and Computer Science Site: Nanotechnology Research Experiences for Teachers at FIU", under the direction of Dr. Masoud Milani and Dr. Laird Kramer. FIU's College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and its Center for Diversity in Engineering and Computing (CDEC) in collaboration with its Colleges of Arts and Sciences and Education propose to establish a RET site which will recruit 16 middle and high school STEM teachers per year for 3 years (total of 48 teachers) and will engage them in a 6-weeks, hands-on, comprehensive summer research program with academic year follow-up, designed to increase their knowledge of the latest advancements in nanotechnology and enable them to develop new STEM K-12 curriculum based on their research findings and activities. The site's recruiting activities will be centered in Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS), the fourth largest school district in the country with over 340,000 students, of which almost 90% are historically underrepresented minorities (65% Hispanic, 24.5% Black) at 435 schools with over 20,000 teachers.The program participants will complete their research programs in a period of 6 weeks during summer under the mentorship of expert researchers in nanotechnology and will participate in follow-up activities conducted throughout the academic year where the program participants will discuss how they are utilizing the knowledge and experiences from their research, the curricula that were developed during their research programs, and their classroom experiences. The results of the follow-up sessions will then be used to enhance the target curricula. As part of this project, teachers will be involved in research projects that are advancing knowledge and understanding in nanotechnology while at the same time working on curriculum development advancing understanding of ways to introduce engineering research related ideas and particularly nanotechnology ideas in STEM K-12 education. By providing advanced background in engineering and STEM education, the project will develop participating teachers into a persistent, driving force in improving STEM education in high needs schools within Miami-Dade County Public Schools. This will lead to significant improvements in STEM education by the participants and serving their often underrepresented communities. The project will also provide insight into effective partnerships between FIU and the fourth largest school district in the nation.