RET SITE: Simulation and Visualization Technologies for Innovative Industrial Solutions

普渡大学西北分校（PNW）的可视化与仿真创新中心（CIVS）将建立一个教师研究经验（RET）站点。它将解决对国家繁荣有直接影响的劳动力发展和工业技能差距的关键问题。该网站将为高中和社区大学的STEM教师提供研究经验和发展机会，以提高他们对STEM的理解和教学效率，使用虚拟学习工具来提高学生对STEM的兴趣、理解和活动。通过研究活动，教师将与CIVS研究人员、PNW工程教师和行业合作者合作，使用尖端的仿真和可视化技术参与正在进行的现代系统工程和智能制造研究。该研究将解决现实世界的工业问题，以提高能源效率，优化生产，预测机械故障，提高工业工作场所的产品质量和安全性。招聘工作将针对代表性不足的少数族裔学区和教师，以及历史上STEM服务不足的人群，以促进未来STEM教育选择、职业道路和研究基础设施的增长和多样性。根据他们令人兴奋的研究经验，参与者将在学年期间在自己的教室中创建和实施虚拟学习模块。通过这些模块，将研究经验与STEM教育标准联系起来，促进调查和分析技能，学生将被授权并鼓励追求先进的STEM教育和职业目标。该计划还将影响与钢铁行业密切相关的地区劳动力和经济，印第安纳州的钢铁产量占全国的25%。每年夏天，普渡大学西北分校将接待来自印第安纳州西北部高中和社区大学的12名教师，他们反映了学生人口的多样性和社区的制造业/工业基础。项目目标是(1)利用先进的仿真和可视化技术为这些教师提供真实的研究经验，用于创新的工业解决方案和基于模型的制造；(2)利用现有的现实世界虚拟工业过程，将教师的研究经验和新知识转化为课程模块，并将在学年期间在他们的STEM课程中实施。(3)建立一个由教育工作者和工程师组成的社区，他们将在整个学年中继续指导和促进学生的STEM学习。五个研究项目，解决现实世界的工程/技术问题，在钢铁行业，重点是在模型和传感器为基础的制造进步提供。参与者将在基于项目的学习系统中接受由工程学院、研究生和工业工程师组成的团队的指导。这些项目、专业发展和研究传播机会，以及持续的项目评估和改进协议，都建立在普渡大学西北大学CIVS研究中心和钢铁制造仿真和可视化协会（SMSVC）的大量资源的基础上，这些资源已成为钢铁制造领域的知名机构。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site will be established at Purdue University Northwest (PNW)'s Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS). It will address critical issues of workforce development and skills gap in industry, which have direct impact on the nation's prosperity. The site will provide high school and community college STEM teachers with research experiences and development opportunities to enhance their STEM understanding and teaching effectiveness using virtual learning tools to increase their students' STEM interest, understanding, and activities. Through the research activities, teachers will participate in ongoing, modern systems engineering and smart manufacturing research using cutting-edge simulation and visualization technologies in collaboration with CIVS research staff, PNW engineering faculty, and industry collaborators. The research will address real world industry issues to increase energy efficiency, optimize production, predict mechanical failures, and improve product quality and safety in industrial workplace settings. Recruitment efforts will target underrepresented minority school districts and teachers, and historically STEM-underserved populations, to bolster growth and diversity in future STEM educational options, career paths, and research infrastructure. From their exciting research experiences, participants will create and implement virtual learning modules into their own classrooms during the academic year. Through these modules, which link the research experiences to STEM education standards and promote investigational and analytical skills, students will be empowered and encouraged to pursue advanced STEM education and career goals. The proposed site will also impact a regional workforce and economy strongly tied to the steel industry, with Indiana producing 25% of the nation's steel. Each summer for 6 weeks, Purdue Northwest will host 12 teachers from Northwest Indiana high schools and community colleges that reflect both the diversity of their student populations and the manufacturing/ industry base of their communities. Program objectives are to (1) provide these teachers with authentic research experiences using advanced simulation and visualization technologies for innovative industrial solutions and model-based manufacturing, (2) translate teacher's research experiences and new knowledge into curricular modules, using existing real-world virtual industrial processes, that will be implemented in their STEM classes during the academic year, and (3) build a community of educators and engineers who will continue to mentor and advance STEM learning to students throughout the academic year. Five research projects that address real-world engineering/technology issues in the steel industry, and focus on advancements in model- and sensor-based manufacturing are offered. Participants will be mentored by teams consisting of engineering faculty, graduate students, and industry engineers, within a project-based learning system. The projects, professional development and research dissemination opportunities, and continuous program assessment and improvement protocols, all build on and leverage the considerable resources of Purdue Northwest's CIVS research center and Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium (SMSVC), which have become marquee names in steel manufacturing.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.