Research Experience for Teachers (RET)
The RET experiences enables K-12 science educators to participate in Palmer Site research projects funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) at the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The goal of the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) is to enhance the professional development of K-12 science educators through research experience at the emerging frontiers of science in an effort to bring new knowledge into the classroom. We hope the experience strengthens and enhances your existing science curriculum, serves as a professional development opportunity and extends collaboration between K-12 science educators and the local research community.
Ways to get involved:
- Teacher involvement in a Principal Investigator’s ongoing or proposed research.
- Curriculum development related to current ongoing research.
- Participation on process cruises.
Timeframe:
Duration of commitment is generally one year and the project may be carried out during summer months, during the academic year, or both. For guidance and inquiries concerning RET opportunities please contact the Education Outreach Coordinator Beth Simmons
Previous projects:
Participating teachers interacted with scientists, graduate students, and the site education coordinator extracting relevant research materials from two LTER sites (California Current LTER and Palmer Station LTER) and tailored them to developing instructional materials. The comparative study contrasted six ecological criteria the physical ocean environments from each LTER site, morphological and dietary differences of krill, krill life histories and behavioral characteristics, krill sensitivity to warming trends, and the impact of krill on their respective food webs.
