RET Site: Collaborative Research: Sustainable Electronics

普渡大学和塔斯基吉大学之间的合作项目“工程和计算机科学教师研究经验”（RET）将重点为印第安纳州和阿拉巴马州的高中STEM教师提供知识和技能，使他们的学生成为技术熟练的劳动力的一部分，并成为可持续产品的知情消费者。环境可持续电子学的主题为许多科学和工程原理提供了背景和应用。每个研究项目都将被映射到特定的高中科学标准，这将指导高中课程的发展。一般情况下，环境可持续性应有助于扩大女性和少数民族对工程的参与。这个RET网站将在三年的时间里为来自印第安纳州和阿拉巴马州学区的33名高中STEM教师提供为期六周的密集暑期研究项目。与教师和博士生一起研究电子产品的整个生命周期（设计、生产、包装、分销、使用和回收/再利用），这些教师将获得创造可持续电子产品的许多方面的第一手科学知识。教师和教职员工将进行实验，如使用天然树脂如纤维素、木质素和大豆代替石油基树脂来制造电路板，以及经济有效地回收和再利用电子产品，而不是把它们送到垃圾填埋场。实地考察当地的电子产品回收中心，以及设计和制造电脑、手机和其他电子设备的公司，将为参与者提供对电子产品现实世界方面的洞察。教师将获得这些领域的科学能力，并将他们的新知识传达给他们的STEM学生，希望在高中毕业后引起他们追求STEM学位和职业的兴趣。教师还将通过地区、州和国家会议以及其他专业发展机会与同行分享他们的经验，从而帮助将这些知识传播到更广泛的地方，而不仅仅是他们自己的课堂。为配合这项研究，双方将开展一系列专业发展活动，以提高教师素质，并支持他们在各自高中的科学课程中实施新的、以标准为基础的课程。此外，该项目将为普渡大学和塔斯基吉大学的研究生提供机会，他们在学年期间跟随课堂上的老师，直接观察研究生通过与RET教师合作进行可持续电子研究而获得的原则和知识的实施情况。

This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science Site, a collaborative program between Purdue University and Tuskegee University, will focus on providing high school STEM teachers from Indiana and Alabama with the knowledge and skills to equip their students to become part of a technologically adept workforce as well as informed consumers of sustainable products. The topic of environmentally sustainable electronics provides both context and application to many scientific and engineering principles. Each research project will be mapped to specific high school science standards, which will guide development of high school curricula. Environmental sustainability as a general context should help broaden female and minority participation in engineering. This RET Site will offer an intensive six week summer research program for a total of 33 high school STEM teachers, over a three year period, from school districts in Indiana and Alabama. Working alongside the faculty and doctoral students on research on the entire life cycle of electronics (design, production, packaging, distribution, use and recycling/reuse), these teachers will gain firsthand scientific knowledge of the many facets of creating sustainable electronics. The teachers and faculty will conduct experiments on such topics as using natural resins such as cellulose, lignin, and soy instead of petroleum-based resins to build circuit boards, and cost effectively recovering and reusing electronics instead of sending them to landfills. Field trips to local electronics recycling centers and to companies that design and make computers, cell phones and other electronic devices will provide the participants with insight into real-world aspects of electronics. Teachers will gain scientific proficiency in these areas and convey their new knowledge to their STEM students, hopefully arousing interest to pursue a STEM degree and career after graduation from high school. The teachers also will share their experiences with peers through district, state and national conferences and other professional development opportunities, thus helping to disseminate this knowledge more broadly beyond just their own classrooms. Complementing the research will be a series of professional development activities to enhance teacher quality and support to implement new, standards-based curricula into their science courses at their respective high schools. In addition, the project will provide opportunities for Purdue and Tuskegee graduate students who follow up with the teachers in their classrooms in the school year to observe firsthand the implementation of the principles and knowledge that the graduate students also are obtaining by working with the RET faculty on sustainable-electronics research.