Welcome to the RET: Research Experience for Teachers on Alternative Energy and Automotive Engineering Program at Oakland University . This RET program is hosted by the School of Engineering and Computer Science at Oakland University (OU). This program is funded by an National Science Foundation (NSF) Award for a three-year period (Summer 2016-Summer 2018).
This Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program seeks to strengthen K-12 education in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines by each year involving 12 middle and high school science and mathematics teachers and pre-service teachers from the metro-Detroit area in multidisciplinary and cutting edge research on alternative energy and automotive engineering for 6 weeks during the summer at Oakland University (OU).
Program Highlights include:
- Careful selection of a set of diverse research projects in the areas of automotive engineering and alternative energy that connect with a range of STEM disciplines while providing inspiring, real-world applications of interest to in-service and pre-service teachers and their students;
- Recruitment each year of 12 secondary-level (middle and high-school), science and/or mathematics teachers from districts and schools in the metro-Detroit area that serve predominantly under-represented or economically disadvantaged populations of students, as well as pre-service teachers from southeastern Michigan;
- A strong and collaborative partnership between OU faculty in the School of Engineering and Computer Science (SECS) and the School of Education and Human Services (SEHS) in program development and implementation;
- An advisory board that will include an industry mentor, a K-12 superintendent, faculty from the OU School of Engineering and Computer Science and School of Education and Human Services, and a previous RET teacher to help oversee the program;
- Involvement of teachers and their schools in an ongoing collaboration with the engineering and education K-12 outreach programs at Oakland University;
- Ongoing and systematic evaluation of all program components for the purpose of determining program impact and the extent to which the program objectives are met.
Program Announcement
