RET Site: Biologically and Physically Inspired Computing Models and Systems

该奖项更新了圣母大学教师研究经验（RET）网站。 RET网站的重点是让当地高中教师参与暑期研究项目，探索受物理和生物系统启发的计算模型。 RET网站将在圣母院和印第安纳州大南本德地区的高中之间建立强有力的伙伴关系，包括公立和私立学校。 该网站将招募计算机科学，生物学，数学，物理学和其他工程学科领域的高中教师，他们将在夏季与教师导师和研究团队一起开展引人注目的研究项目，然后在学年期间在教室里实施相关的学习模块和活动。研究主题的跨学科性质将为开发具有创造性和吸引力的高中课程和生物学，物理学，数学和其他工程学科的教学活动提供肥沃的土壤，这些学科与州和国家课程标准保持一致。RET网站将与计算机科学教师协会（CSTA）区域分会和印第安纳州教育部合作，帮助制定战略，在印第安纳州的每一所高中建立以计算机科学为中心的课程。RET网站的教师将参加为期7周的暑期研究所，参加尖端研究项目，并得到工程学院的指导，他们领导重点领域的当前研究项目。 这些研究项目的重点是受生物学和大脑启发的系统，利用物理系统的进化来解决感兴趣的问题，可以更容易地通过新技术实现，并可以满足新兴应用的计算需求。 与主要研究者和教师导师合作，教师将开发创新的，符合标准的课程模块，并参加一些专业发展活动。教师创建的模块和课程将通过CSTA在线存储库和TeachEngineering.org传播，这是一个国家认可的可搜索的基于标准的工程课程存储库。 在整个学年中，计划开展广泛的后续活动，以确保将实验室经验转化为课堂实践，并促进和加强工程学院与当地学区之间的长期合作伙伴关系。该奖项反映了NSF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。

This award renews a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site at the University of Notre Dame. The RET Site focuses on engaging local high school teachers in summer research projects that explore computational models inspired by physical and biological systems. The RET Site will develop a strong partnership between Notre Dame and high schools in the greater South Bend, Indiana area, including public and private schools. The site will recruit cohorts of high school teachers in the areas of computer science, biology, math, physics, and other engineering disciplines who will work on compelling research projects with faculty mentors and research teams in the summer and then will implement related learning modules and activities in their classrooms during the academic year. The interdisciplinary nature of the research theme will provide a fertile ground for developing creative and appealing high school lessons and teaching activities in biology, physics, math, and other engineering disciplines that align with state and national curricular standards. The RET Site will engage with a Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) regional chapter and the Indiana Department of Education to help develop strategies to establish computer-science-centric curricula in every high school in the state of Indiana.RET Site teachers will attend a 7-week summer institute to participate in cutting-edge research projects with mentoring from engineering faculty who lead current research programs in the areas of emphasis. The research projects focus on systems that are inspired by biology and the brain, exploit the evolution of a physical system to solve a problem of interest, can be more easily realized with new technologies, and can meet the computational needs of emerging applications. Working with the principal investigators and faculty mentors, teachers will develop innovative, standards-compliant curriculum modules and participate in a number of professional development activities. The teacher-created modules and lessons will be disseminated through the CSTA online repository and TeachEngineering.org, a nationally recognized repository for searchable, standards-based engineering curricula. Extensive follow-up activities are planned throughout the academic year to ensure the translation of lab experiences into classroom practice, and to foster and strengthen long-term partnership between engineering faculty and the local school districts.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.