K-5 Research Experiences for Teachers

Professional Development

The CDCM Materials Research Science and Engineering Center is hosting a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program in 2025. Each summer, science teachers from local elementary schools will participate in a six-week program where they work alongside faculty and graduate students, participating in high-level research projects within the field of materials science. In addition to the research component, RET staff and faculty will guide teachers to develop and teach materials science-based lessons that connect current research to K-5 science and mathematics curricula in the classroom, and promote materials science as an exciting career field that allows K-5 students to apply their math and science education to real-world problems.

The long-term goals of our RET program are to motivate and improve elementary school student-learning in engineering and establish a collaborative partnership between our selected schools and CDCM faculty through inquiry-based experiences in materials science.