RESEARCH EXPEREINCE FOR TEACHERS (RET) PROGRAM – SUMMER 2010

(An Exploratory Extension of ScEnMaT)

 

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PDF APPLICATION FORM.  Detailed instructions for submitting the application are given below.

Updated on 10th Feb. 2010.  This page is a work in progress. Check back frequently for updates.

 What is RET Program? It is an exciting opportunity for a few selected North Dakota teachers to spend 8 weeks at UND during the summer of 2010 working with a science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics) or math faculty member on that faculty member’s research project.

What are the Dates? RET program will start Sunday, June 07th and will run for 8 weeks.  A selected participant should expect to dedicate at least 8 hrs. a day and 5 days/wk to the research project during this period.

 What about Credits? Most likely, selected participants may earn up to 3 graduate credits.

 What Costs Will be Covered? In addition to a stipend of approximately $350/week, ScEnMaT will cover participants’ board & lodging (UND housing and meal plan) and travel expenses.  Note that there will be sensible limitations on travel expense reimbursements.  For example, because  RET is an on-campus  residential program, we will not be able to pay a teacher to travel daily or weekly to Grand Forks from Fargo for 8 weeks.  

 Who is RET Program Designed For? HS/MS science/math teachers who are genuinely excited about the latest research being conducted in fields related to the subjects they teach. Participants must also be interested in  sharing their enthusiasm for science/math research with students in their classes.  Obviously, a participant must also be able to devote 8 weeks starting June 7th, 2010 to RET program.

 Who is Eligible to Participate? In addition to in-service HS/MS science/math teachers licensed to teach in North Dakota, new teachers who have completed their student-training internship and are waiting to start a teaching job in a North Dakota school in the Fall of 2010 may be eligible to participate.

What Research Projects/Faculty Mentors are Available?

Given below is the list of projects available at this time. We hope to have a few more projects added to this list very soon.  Each of the following titles is linked to a document which gives a description of the project, name and contact information of the faculty mentor, and the preferred educational background of the participating teacher.  If you are interested in one or more of these projects, get in touch with the relevant faculty mentor(s) and discuss the possibility of being a RET participant during the summer of 2010.  If you and the faculty mentor mutually agree that there is a potential for a successful RET partnership between the two of you, you should submit an application for funding from ScEnMaT as described elsewhere on this page.

 

Biology

1. Relationships Between Characteristics of Insects and Landscape Characteristics of Their Habitats

 

Chemistry

1. Carborane Bridging Ligand for Rod-like Oligomeric Complexes

 

Mathematics

1. Sequences of Certain Geometric Figures

2. Group Theory for Cultural Mathematics

 

Physics

1. Novel Superconductors: High Pressure/Temperature (HPT) Synthesis

2. Nanoscience: A Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Study of Supramolecular Assemblies on Graphite Surfaces

3. Lifting the Veil on Distant Galaxy Clusters

 

How do I Apply? Read project descriptions and pick the ones you are interested in.  Then contact the faculty mentor of each project to get more details. Together with the mentor, decide which project(s) suit you.  Download the PDF application to your computer.

 

- If you have ONLY Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer, you have two options to submit the application. 

   Option 1: Open the application form in Adobe Acrobat Reader, print the form (3 pages), complete

   the form by hand, and mail it to the address given in Part 6 of the form.

   Option 2: Open and fill the form in Adobe Acrobat Reader, print the completed the form, and mail it

   to the address given in Part 6 of the form. Also, use the e-mail button on the 1st page of the form to

   e-mail  the data you typed in to ScEnMaT-RET.  Note that Acrobat Reader will NOT allow you to save

   a fully or partially completed form to your computer.

 

- If you have Adobe Acrobat Professional on your computer, you have the following options to submit the application. 

   Option 1: Open and fill the form in Adobe Acrobat Professional and save the completed the form on

    your computer.  Then e-mail it as an attachment to the e-mail address given in Part 6 of the form. In

    addition, you may also use the e-mail button on the 1st page of the form to send the data to ScEnMaT-

    RET. 

   Option 2: Open the application form in Adobe Acrobat Professional, print the form (3 pages),

   Complete the form by hand, and mail it to the address given in Part 6 of the form.

 

When Will I Know? We hope to inform whether you have been selected for the RET program or not by March . 15th, 2010.

Contact: Dr. Kanishka Marasinghe (E-mail: k.marasinghe@und.edu,  Ph: 701 777 3560)