What To Expect
Research in Optical Communication for K-14 Educators (ROCKET) benefits:
- Research experience in world-class photonics laboratory
- Introduce your students to career paths and higher education in optical engineering
- Networking with research faculty, graduate student mentors, and other ambitious educators
- Supply budget of $1,500 for laboratory supplies and classroom demo materials
- Earn a $5,400 stipend
- Create original engineering lesson plans and publish this content on NSF database for educators: http://www.teachengineering.org/
- Travel to professional conferences to share your research experience and engineering curriculum
In addition to the work that ROCKET participants do in the lab, they also participate in workshops, seminars (science small talk), and group curriculum planning.
Teachers who excel may be invited to continue their participation in subsequent summers.
Teachers accepted into the program are expected to work in their designated laboratory for 40 hours per week to complete an academically appropriate research project designed in conjunction with their advisor. By the end of the six-week session, teachers are expected to complete:
- An abstract of their research work
- A lesson plan for submission to Teach Engineering http://www.teachengineering.org/
- An oral presentation of the lesson plan they've created
The program is designed to create lasting professional networks among ROCKET participants and CIAN researchers, including: classroom visits, conference travel, laboratory tours, and ongoing collaborations concerning pre-college science education.
2010 Strategic Advisory Board Meeting
