RESEARCH EXPERIENCE FOR TEACHERS
RET :2003: :2002: :2001: participants
This was our second year of offering the RET program to teachers from throughout the Commonwealth. We were able to expand it to include seven teachers, which were chosen from the middle school ranks. The objective was to transfer the excitement of "hot topic" research to their classrooms via educational models they developed based on their summer's research.
A stipend of $1,000/wk with an additional $700 for living accommodations, 6 graduate credits and 135 pdps are a few of the tangible perks offered. For further information or in order to apply for an eight-week position in the RET program please email, fax or send a paragraph on how such an experience would influence your teaching, together with your current curriculum vitae to Greg Dabkowski using the contact information below.
PARTICIPANTS
Laurie Boosahda (Peck Middle School - Hollyhock, MA.),
Luanne LaRose (Greenfield Middle School - Greenfield, MA),
Daria Stone (Chestnut Accelerated Middle School - Springfield, MA), worked with Russell as a group, studying the diblock copolymer poly(styrene-b-ethylene oxide) to determine how the diblock affects the crystal growth of polyethylene oxide from solution. The nanostructures that were developed by this research opened up new methods that significantly reduced the preparatory steps and thus time of production.
Cindy Craig (Wilbraham Middle School - Wilbraham, MA.),
John Healey (South Middle School - Braintree,MA), worked with Lesser as a group, investigating novel methods of measuring adhesion in general polymer films using a blister technique. A second project using contact angle measurement, probed environmental stress cracking in polymers under load.
Charlene Galenski (South Deerfield Elementary School - South Deerfield, MA.), worked with Gido developing a polymer based curricula which could be incorporated into the Commonwealth science standards for elementary schools.
Cathy Levesque (Wilbraham Middle School - Wilbraham, MA.), worked with Russell and Gido developing a teaching module from her previous research experiences in nanostructure formations of self-assembly diblock copolymers from solutions of polystyrene/polymethylmethacrylate. The module was presented in the convenient form of a CD-ROM in order to facilitate distribution.
