RET Site: Innovative Transportation Systems

蒙大拿州立大学（MSU）西部交通研究所（WTI）的创新交通系统教师研究经验（ITS-RET）将让中学、部落和社区学院的STEM教师参与跨学科的夏季研究，重点关注农村交通系统的独特挑战。研究课题将涵盖可持续基础设施材料；安全宜居社区的交通设计和运营；先进的运输技术。项目将探索开发和测试新技术、基础设施材料、模拟或空间模型以及旨在改善农村交通系统的算法。研究经验将建立核心的工程和计算技能。经验丰富的研究导师将指导RET参与者使用设定的过程来定义问题，评估数据，并为RET参与者和他们所服务的农村学生熟悉的现实世界交通问题制定最佳解决方案。该项目预计将通过扩大专业发展机会，加强蒙大拿州和内布拉斯加州农村和服务不足地区STEM教师的能力，对农村和部落社区的学生产生重大影响。ITS-RET网站将在三年的资助期内，每年夏天为12名STEM教师提供为期六周的密集研究项目。夏季研究将辅以广泛的学年后续活动，以确保RET参与者获得必要的支持，以实现与研究相关的成就，并确保将他们的研究经验成功地转化为课堂实践。课程开发活动预计将导致新的中学和社区大学课程内容，整合多个STEM学科的工具和流程，以模拟如何开发创新解决方案以应对现实世界中的复杂挑战。新教材的发布将通过展示现实世界的应用和益处，激发农村和部落学生对STEM学科的兴趣和热情。除了会议报告外，通过ITS-RET计划制定的项目成果和课程计划将通过西部地区交通劳动力中心的在线教育资源交换中心以及其他数字图书馆广泛传播。

This Research Experiences for Teachers in Innovative Transportation Systems (ITS-RET) at the Western Transportation Institute (WTI) at Montana State University (MSU) will engage secondary school and tribal and community college STEM faculty in interdisciplinary summer research focused on the unique challenges of rural transportation systems. Research topics will cover sustainable infrastructure materials; transportation design and operations for safe and livable communities; and advanced transportation technologies. Projects will explore the development and testing of new technologies, infrastructure materials, simulation or spatial models, and algorithms designed to improve rural transportation systems. The research experience will build core engineering and computational skills. Experienced research mentors will guide RET participants to use set processes to define problems, evaluate data, and develop optimal solutions to real world transportation problems that will be familiar to both the RET participants and the rural students they serve. The project is expected to have a high impact on students in rural and tribal communities by expanding professional development opportunities to strengthen the capacity of STEM faculty from rural and underserved areas in Montana and Nebraska.The ITS-RET Site will offer an intensive six week research program each summer to a cohort of 12 STEM instructors over the three-year grant period. Summer research will be complimented by extensive academic year follow-up activities to ensure that RET participants have the necessary support to achieve research-related accomplishments and to ensure the successful translation of their research experience into classroom practice. Curriculum development activities are expected to lead to new secondary school and community college course content that integrates tools and processes from multiple STEM disciplines to mimic how innovative solutions are developed to complex challenges in the real world. The delivery of the new curricular materials will spark the interest and enthusiasm of rural and tribal students in STEM subjects by demonstrating real world applications and benefits. In addition to conference presentations, project outcomes and lesson plans developed through the ITS-RET program will be widely disseminated through the West Region Transportation Workforce Center's online clearinghouse of education resources as well as other digital libraries.