This award provides funding for a 3 year continuing award to support a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site program at the University of Maryland (UMD)College Park in partnership with the University of Virginia (UVA) entitled, "Research involving Design, Innovation and Invention Experiences for Teachers (Research DIIET)," under the direction of Dr. Leigh Abts.
This Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering Site involves a rigorous six-week summer research schedule of active learning activities for a total of 39 middle and high school science teachers,13 each year for three years at both the UMD and the UVA campuses. The program also includes an academic year action research project. The teachers will be recruited from the Montgomery County, Maryland Public School System, the Danville and Pittsylvania Public Schools in Virginia and the Washington D.C. Friendship Public Charter School. The teachers will explore the 'abstract notion of innovation'-from basic scientific discovery to applied product development and will create classroom modules.
