The NNIN RET program is 8 weeks: 6 weeks in summer at the NNIN site 1 week follow up during the school year 1 week  experience at the annual meeting of the National  Science Teachers  Association (NSTA)

 

Objectives of the NNIN RET Program:

•  develop a mentorship community between professors, graduate students, NNIN staff, and science teachers that will serve as a resource for future work
•  assist a diverse group of science teachers in understanding and communicating the importance of using inquiry-based methods to solve problems by doing research in nanotechnology
•  establish a long-term mentorship support group of teachers who will become advocates for nanotechnology education and careers
•  build a library of classroom activities—activities that span a short or long duration of time

NNIN RET provides:

•  Stipend - $5,500 (three payments - $2,000 and $2,000 during summer and $1,500 after NSTA)
•  Travel support to NSTA – up to $1,500
  
•  Classroom materials support - $150
  
•  Hands-on research experience in nanotechnology
  
•  Safety and equipment training
  
•  Faculty research advisors and graduate student mentors
  

Eligibility for Application:

• Must teach in grades 6-12
• Must teach science or technology
• Must have a minimum of two years teaching experience
  

  Pre-service Applicants

•  Must have completed the junior year in a science teacher education program or preferred
•  Must have an undergraduate degree in science or engineering and is in a master’s degree program which leads to initial certification for grades 6-12 

Teachers are required to:  Complete the summer research experience Attend all summer meetings, workshops, and seminars Attend school year meetings Work with NNIN Support personnel in the classroom Complete and action plan Attend and participate at the National Science Teachers Association's National Conference on  Science and Education  Most of the educational activities on this site were developed by prior year RETs.

NNIN Follow-up Activities and Support: 

•  provide one in-service presentation to either their school or district on the RET experience 
•  refine the lesson developed for the classroom and use it with his or her students
  
•  maintain a journal on how they implemented the lesson 

  Each NNIN host site will:

•  provide 3 days of support for continued refinement of the instructional unit, classroom support/coaching for incorporating the teaching module in the classroom, and/or observation on how the teacher has changed  classroom practice
•  maintain communication with participants through e-mail and internet sharing of materials
  
•  host a final day-long follow-up meeting (on a day which will not remove teachers from the classrooms) in which RET participants will:
  
  • view each other’s instructional materials and provide constructive feedback
  • share their in-service experience and classroom lesson experience
    
  • make modifications to their lesson
    
  • suggest modifications to the NNIN RET program
    
  • prepare for the NSTA presentation and the NNIN RET sharing session at the NSTA Annual Convention   

• present their summer experience to one of their classes or home department
• assist the NNIN site education coordinator by providing some of the in-class support for the in-service teachers, such as: 
  • helping to implement the developed activity
  • assisting in refining the activity
    
  •    helping with the preparation of the NSTA presentation
  • 
    

Application:

Applications are made in early spring for the next summer's program.  Applications are made directly to each site.

The NNIN RET program is available at  Georgia Tech (Atlanta), Harvard (Boston), Howard University (DC), UCSB (Santa Barbara) and Penn State (State College, PA).  Because of the required follow-up, participants must be from the area surrounding these participating sites. (< 100 miles).

Women and Minorities are encouraged to apply