RET Site: Research Experience for Teachers in Manufacturing of Nano-Enabled Devices

这个位于德克萨斯大学奥斯汀分校的RET网站将招募一批中学教师，这些教师来自那些未被充分代表的学生群体比例很高的学校，从事与纳米制造相关的工程研究活动。RET专业发展经验的重要性集中在中学教师作为吸引、招募和教育高技能未来领导者（他们的学生）追求STEM职业的渠道。研究表明，在中学阶段培养学生的兴趣是至关重要的。通过纳米制造研究，教师可以为学生提供真实的工程体验，解读学生的工程，并为学生提供一个在中学阶段认同工程师的机会。研究表明，自我认同因素对初高中学生（男性和女性）成为工程师和留在工程专业的决定起着重要作用。以实验室为基础的研究经验将满足教师对可转移到课堂的相关、协作和实质性专业发展的需求。其目的是创建教室，为所有学生提供实践的机会，以项目为基础，以及相关的学习经验，帮助学生理解，欣赏和追求高中和大学后的职业STEM道路。教师将按群体招聘，以形成影响学校数学、科学、工程和技术文化变革的关键群体，并在课堂上创造一个创新的生态系统。教师团队将在暑期项目结束后的学年会面，评估他们的实施进展情况，并分享经验、成功和挑战。该RET将使用NSF纳米系统ERC NASCENT（用于移动计算和移动能源技术的纳米制造系统）的设备、空间、教职员工和研究生。在三年的拨款过程中，这个RET网站将聘请来自德克萨斯州奥斯汀地区8所中学的30名教师参与一个研究驱动的项目，重点是结构化的指导研究和实验室经验。高级教师和研究生将在纳米制造系统和工艺方面指导教师，包括工具构建，材料集成，建模和仿真，以及涉及化学，机械，电气和材料科学工程领域的纳米器件规范和评估，为期七周。该计划还包括纳米工程和研究训练营（在研究的第一周之前提供），课程设计指导，每周研讨会和非正式活动，以在参与的教师，教职员工和研究生之间创建一个社区。教师和研究生将从他们的研究和实验室经验中运用数学、科学和技术方法来支持教师实施他们的课程计划。RETs将回到他们的校园，实施他们从7周的研究经验中总结出来的课程。然而，他们不会独自回到教室。对教师的广泛跟进和支持贯穿整个学年。利用德州中部地区半导体产业的资源和新生工程研究中心的资源，教师将采用团队合作的方式，激发和教育学生了解该地区以及全国范围内这个不断发展的产业。在学年期间，将使用新生学院的教师、研究生、新生中心工业顾问委员会成员以及来自中心合作伙伴（包括但不限于三星、东京电子、3M和应用材料）的半导体工程师，将纳米制造与现实世界的联系带到教师的课堂上。半导体领域迫切需要多样化和熟练的劳动力，本网站的RETs将帮助满足当地对这一挑战感兴趣和有能力的学生的需求。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。

This RET Site at The University of Texas at Austin will engage cohorts of middle school teachers recruited from schools with high percentages of underrepresented student populations in research activities in engineering related to nanomanufacturing. The importance of the RET professional development experience focuses on the middle school teacher as the conduit to attract, recruit, and educate highly skilled future leaders -their students- to pursue STEM careers. Studies indicate it is critical to imbue student interest at the middle school level. Enhancing their lesson planning with nanomanufacturing research, teachers can provide an authentic engineering experience for their students, deciphering for students engineering and providing an opportunity for students to identify with engineers at the middle school level. Research shows that the self-identifying factor plays a significant role for middle and high school students (male and female) on their decisions to become engineers and stay in engineering professions. The lab based research experiences will meet teachers' demands for relevant, collaborative and substantive professional development that is transferable to the classroom. The intention is to create classrooms that provide all students an opportunity for hands-on, project based, and relevant learning experiences that assists students to understand, appreciate and pursue post-high school and college career STEM pathways. Teachers will be recruited in cohorts so that there is a critical mass to affect change in the school math, science, engineering, and technology culture and create an innovative ecosystem in the classrooms. Teacher cohorts will meet during the academic year after the summer programs to assess how their implementation is progressing and share experiences, successes and challenges. This RET will use the equipment, space, faculty, staff and graduate students of the NSF Nanosystems ERC NASCENT (Nanomanufacturing Systems for Mobile Computing and Mobile Energy Technologies).Over the course of the three year grant, this RET Site will engage 30 teachers from eight middle schools in the Austin, TX area in a research-driven program with a focus on structured mentored research and laboratory experiences. Senior faculty and graduate students will mentor teachers in an aspect of nanomanufacturing systems and processes, which include tool construction, materials integration, modeling and simulation, and nano-enabled device specification and evaluation that involve the fields of chemical, mechanical, electrical and materials science engineering for seven weeks during the summer. The program also includes a nanoengineering and research bootcamp (offered prior to the first week of research), instruction in curriculum design, weekly seminars and informal events to create a community among the teachers, faculty and graduate students involved. Faculty and graduate students will support teachers' implementation of their lesson plans using applications of math, science, and technology methodologies from their research and laboratory experiences. The RETs will return to their campuses and implement their lessons developed from their 7-week research experience. They will not return to their classrooms alone, however. Extensive follow up and support for teachers extends throughout the school year. Using the Central Texas regional resources in the semi-conductor industry and NASCENT Engineering Research Center resources, teachers will use a team approach to excite and educate their students about this growing industry in the region, as well as across the country. The real-world connection to nanomanufacturing will be brought to the teachers' classrooms during the school year using NASCENT faculty, graduate students, members of the NASCENT Center Industrial Advisory Board, and semi-conductor engineers from Center partners including but not limited to SAMSUNG, Tokyo Electron, 3M, and Applied Materials. There is a critical need for a diverse and skilled workforce in the semi-conductor area and RETs in this site will help fill that need at a local level with students interested and able to take on that challenge.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.