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CSATS 2024 Summer Research Experience for STEM Teachers

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CSATS Summer Research Experiences for STEM Teachers Program

Dates: June 17 - August 2, 2024
Deadline to apply: Applications Closed
Location: Online or In-person depending on placement (see "Additional Information")

To hear from a former RET teacher and his research mentors check out our informational RET webinar recording from 2022. Note: The webinar includes information for the 2023 RET, not 2024.

  • 0:00 - 9:13 - Information about the program
  • 9:13 - End - Hear from our former RET and his research mentors
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The Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program is a seven-week summer program for middle and high school STEM teachers. RETs conduct research with a host laboratory for the first six weeks of the program and prepare for the summer research symposium during the seventh week. For Summer 2024, the RET programs will be offered online or in-person depending on the placement. Please see the descriptions under "Additional Information" on the left for more information. Teachers selected for the program will participate in ongoing research projects with university science or engineering faculty and work with CSATS science education faculty to develop a classroom research project based on their research experience.

RET programs for the Summer of 2024:

  • Biotechnology and Climate Change Research (BIORETs)
  • Bioinformatics Research
  • Computational Biology Research

Applicants Must:

  • Be a middle school or high school STEM teacher at a school within the United States with 3 years of classroom teaching experience.
  • Have a teaching appointment for the 2024-2025 school year, and be able to use curriculum materials developed during the RET program in your classroom during the 2024-2025 school year.
  • Have a device that is capable of running computer programs and support virtual meetings.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident of the U.S.
  • Devote 40 hours per week to the program during the seven-week session. This is considered a full-time commitment and you may not enroll in classes or hold other jobs during the day. 32 hours a week will be spent in the research lab working on a research project and 8 hours a week will be spent at Penn State University Park participating in professional development conducted by CSATS faculty.
  • Complete work requirements to program standards. Please note, failure uphold program expectations may result in removal from the program.
  • Participants will be paid a stipend for the research experience. We will make every attempt to accommodate reasonable requests for schedule flexibility, while maintaining the program effectiveness.
  • Use materials from your research experience to develop a grade-level-appropriate classroom research project.

Participant Benefits:

  • Teachers will receive a $6000 stipend for completing the summer research and developing a classroom research project.
  • Opportunity to receive up to 3 graduate credits (SCIED 597) from Penn State University (must enroll in the course prior to May 14, 2024).

Application process:

The application requires general contact information, direct supervisor information, 3 professional references, 3 essay questions, a support letter from your immediate supervisor, and a sample lesson plan.