NSF Engineering Research Center
and in Partnership with Industry
Research Experience for Teachers
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Production (CASFER) strives to solve one of the most pressing problems facing humankind: How do we feed the growing world population while protecting and sustaining our environment?
CASFER hosts a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program every year during the summer. Our RET participants are diverse talented teachers eager to learn and grow with others from different backgrounds to join CASFER research teams. Teachers will be placed in a wide range of projects, working directly with faculty, graduate and undergraduate students in hands-on lab work and the development of traveling lab-kits together with educational materials available to schools in English and Spanish. In addition, teachers will attend professional development seminars.
RET Program 2024
Program Dates: June - July, 2024
A total of 6 weeks, exact dates given by each institution
Application Deadline: March 1, 2024
The CASFER 2024 Summer RET Program will be housed at several of our partner institutions, including Texas Tech University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Florida A&M University, and Case Western Reserve University. Teachers will receive training in a laboratory environment and be expected to assist with active research projects. RET teachers will work closely with scientists and researchers of the university, as well as, graduate and undergraduate students from various CASFER labs and programs. In addition, all teachers will participate in educational seminars where they will learn how to integrate CASFER content into their classrooms. This program is designed to provide teachers with hands-on laboratory experience in various projects and disciplines and to develop traveling lab kits for their schools and other schools in the local community.
Eligibility Requirements:
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Local educators currently teaching middle school or high school STEM Subjects
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Available and able to commit to six weeks (Mon - Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm) at one of CASFER's partner institutions of your choosing
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Willing to incorporate classroom activities and learning outcomes in the following academic year
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Must be eligible to work in the U.S.
Teachers Will Receive
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A Weekly Stipend
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CASFER RET Certificate
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Opportunity for professional development working with university researchers
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The opportunity to present their research at a CASFER research conference/workshop
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The opportunity to test the developed STEM curriculum in their classrooms next year
Application Process:
To apply, please click on the link above and fill out all of the necessary information. Additionally please make sure all of the application materials are emailed as a PDF to Zaida Gracia (zaida.gracia@ttu.edu).
If you have any questions, please email a representative from your local CASFER institution:
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Texas Tech University, Zaida Gracia (zaida.gracia@ttu.edu)
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Case Western Reserve University, Jonathan Steirer (jws227@case.edu)
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Florida A&M University, Katherine Milla (katherine.milla@famu.edu)
Past RET Programs
CASFER has hosted RET programs at Texas Tech University, allowing teachers to take part in ground-breaking scientific advancement and the development of new educational materials for their classes. We have hosted 6 RET teachers, working with them in a wide range of topics from electrochemistry to agriculture.
