RET Site: Optics Research Experience for Teachers in Native American Schools (O-RETinas)

RET 网站：美国原住民学校教师的光学研究经验 (O-RETinas)

• 批准号: 1608843
• 负责人: Robert Norwood
• 金额: $ 49.9万
• 依托单位: University of Arizona
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-15 至 2022-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1608843&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: RET; Site; Optics; Research; Experience

This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science Site, entitled Optics Research Experience for Teachers in Native American Schools (O-RETinas), at the University of Arizona (UA), Engineering Research Center (ERC) for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN), will expose K-14 STEM teachers and community college faculty, serving Native American communities and students nationwide, to cutting-edge research on photonic materials and devices for optical communication which will replace current electronic technology. Keeping the U.S. in an information technology leadership position will require developing dense, integrated optoelectronic systems that extend the capabilities of the current fiber network core, while retaining the same cost as today's electronic access network. The interdisciplinary nature of optics and photonics, coupled with real-world industry experiences applied within the context of Native American values will transform K-14 classrooms and provide fertile ground for developing creative problem-based course modules in math, physics, electrical engineering, optical engineering, and technology that align with state and national standards, motivating students toward pursuit of STEM degrees. CIAN will partner with the nationally acclaimed Teachers in Industry (TII) program of UA's College of Education and local STEM companies in this program. The program addresses identified barriers for precollege Native American students who lag significantly behind other minority groups in college matriculation, retention and graduation, particularly in engineering. The industry exposure O-RETinas teachers will gain as a result of their participation will provide tools to improve STEM curriculum and encourage the pursuit of STEM education among Native American students, thus creating the potential for local economic growth and a diverse engineering workforce. This program has the potential to exhibit to the indigenous communities nationwide that academic and industry stakeholders in communities are addressing the need for more Native American students in higher education, which ultimately may benefit their communities. Through the partnership with TII, RET participants will learn transformative teaching techniques to transfer engineering and industry knowledge to their students. The O-RETinas program is also addressing the issue of retention of teachers in rural districts. Over a three-year period this RET Site will offer an intensive summer research program to a total of 30 STEM precollege teachers and community college faculty who will join research teams performing hands on research on topics including improved fiber optics, waveguide materials, short-pulsed lasers, micro-fabrication, and silicon photonics and have opportunities to apply research and lab techniques in industry settings. The research experience will also include: an industry practicum; earning graduate professional development credits through TII; attending Native American focused workshops that discuss integrating optical sciences into Native American culture; and receiving training in best practices for curriculum development with the expertise of business and research communities, and applying these experiences and knowledge in the context of Native American values to create lesson plans, hands-on activities, and course units for their classrooms. Dissemination of the results of RET participants' research projects, through poster sessions and national conferences such as AISES and NSTA, will broadly disseminate innovative lesson plans and course units.

这个工程和计算机科学网站的教师研究经验（RET），题为美国原住民学校教师光学研究经验（O-RETinas），在亚利桑那大学（UA），综合接入网络工程研究中心（ERC） （CIAN），将暴露K-14 STEM教师和社区学院教师，为美国原住民社区和全国学生服务。致力于将取代现有电子技术的光通信用光子材料和器件的前沿研究。为了保持美国在信息技术领域的领先地位，需要发展密集的集成光电系统，以扩展当前光纤网络核心的能力，同时保持与当今电子接入网相同的成本。光学和光子学的跨学科性质，加上在美国原住民价值观背景下应用的现实行业经验，将改变K-14的课堂，并为开发符合州和国家标准的数学、物理、电气工程、光学工程和技术方面的创造性问题课程模块提供肥沃的土壤，激励学生追求STEM学位。西安大学将与亚利桑那大学教育学院的全国知名行业教师（TII）项目以及当地的STEM公司合作。该项目解决了美国原住民学生在大学入学、留校和毕业方面明显落后于其他少数族裔的障碍，特别是在工程学方面。O-RETinas教师的参与将为他们提供改善STEM课程的工具，并鼓励美国原住民学生追求STEM教育，从而为当地经济增长和多样化的工程劳动力创造潜力。这个项目有可能向全国的土著社区展示，社区的学术和行业利益相关者正在解决高等教育对更多美国土著学生的需求，这最终可能使他们的社区受益。通过与TII的合作，RET参与者将学习变革性的教学技巧，将工程和工业知识传授给他们的学生。O-RETinas项目也在解决农村地区留住教师的问题。在三年的时间里，这个RET站点将为总共30名STEM大学预科教师和社区学院教师提供一个密集的夏季研究项目，他们将加入研究团队，对包括改进光纤、波导材料、短脉冲激光、微制造和硅光子学在内的主题进行研究，并有机会将研究和实验室技术应用于工业环境。研究经历还将包括：行业实习；通过TII获得研究生专业发展学分；参加以美洲原住民为重点的研讨会，讨论如何将光学科学融入美洲原住民文化；通过商业和研究团体的专业知识，接受课程开发最佳实践方面的培训，并将这些经验和知识应用于印第安人价值观的背景下，为他们的课堂制定课程计划、实践活动和课程单元。通过海报会议和诸如AISES和NSTA等全国性会议，传播RET参与者的研究项目成果，将广泛传播创新的课程计划和课程单元。