Penn State’s Center for Nanoscale Science (a Materials Research Science & Engineering Center (MRSEC)) hosts a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded Research Experience for Teachers (RET).
The goal of the RET program at Penn State is to provide opportunities for the participating STEM teachers to engage in hands-on research projects with faculty mentors in Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics, and Nanotechnology. Teachers with expertise in engineering, technology, science and math, as well as pre-service teachers, with broad interests across disciplines are eligible and encouraged to apply.
The selected cohort of educators will engage in six-weeks of research with applications to bio-engineering, chemistry, electronics, materials science, optics, opto-electronics, physics, and/or the life sciences. Additional professional development activities include seminars, demonstrations, and workshops geared towards connecting state-of-the-art research with K-12 education. Concepts of sustainability as they relate to materials applications has become a core component of the program's professional development activities.
