Research Experience for Teachers I 2003
2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999
The 2003 Team-RET participants were (from left to right):
- Thad Schug - Homer High School, Homer, NY
- Karen Balbierer - Victor Senior High School, Victor, NY
- Paul Sedita - Canandaigua Academy, Canandaidua, NY
- Theodore "Teddy" Chao - Intermediate School 318, Brooklyn, NY
- David Ruth - South Seneca High School, Ovid, NY
While most of the their time was spent in the CCMR shared experimental facilities with the facility managers (such as shown here with UHV-STEM facility manager Mick Thomas) the teachers were also given the opportunity to attend research talks, meet with faculty members and graduate students, tour other research facilities at Cornell and enjoy the scenic beauty of Ithaca.
Physics Professor Jeevak Parpia (center) demonstrated for the teachers Cornell's autotutorial activities which are a part of Physics 101-102. The teachers were then matched with graduate students to assist them in replicating the apparatus of one of the activities to take back with them to their classrooms.
The 2003 Team-RET program ran from July 7 - August 15 and included the following activities:
- "Introduction to Materials Science" (Dr. Alison Shull)
- Exploration of Physics Demonstrations (Prof. Jeevak Parpia)
- "Applications of Elementary Mechanics in Biology and Medicine" (Prof. Rob Thorne)
- Polymers and Crystal Chemistry (Graduate student Catherine Oertel)
- Electron and Optical Microscopy Facility
- Computing and PowerPoint Training
- "Materials and Human History from the Stone Age to the Age of Silicon" (Prof. Stephen Sass)
- Tour of Cornell Nano-Scale Science and Technology Facility
- Materials Facility
- Polymer Characterization Facility
- UHV-STEM Laboratory
- Safety Training
- Diffraction (Graduate student Gil Toombes)
- X-Ray Diffraction Facility
- Tour of Physical Sciences Library
- Tour of Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source and CLEO
Optional talks included:
- "Non-Natural Polymers with Defined Sequence: Ravings of a Control Freak" (Prof. D. Tyler McQuade)
- "Photonic Crystal Fibers: The 'Holey' Grail" (Prof. Alex Gaeta)
- "Materials Discovery: Work Hard, Work Smart, or Relax?" (Prof. R. Bruce van Dover)
Research Experience for Teachers II 2003
Independent-RET: July 7- August 15, 2003
2003 saw three Team-RET alumni return to work with faculty members on research projects in the Independent-RET program.
Claire Godlewski is a sixth grade science and reading teacher at Oneida Middle School in Schenectady, NY. Claire worked with Facility Manager Dr. Maura Weathers during the summer. Her research focused on analysis of quartzite, quartz, and aluminum with the scanning probe image profiler and the scanning electron microscope. Claire originally participated in the Team-RET program in 2001 and the Independent-RET program in 2002.
Teresa Trupp teaches Chemistry and Applied Science at Union Endicott High School in Endicott, NY. Terre worked with Chemistry and Chemical Biology Professor Geoff Coates during the summer. Her research focused on measuring the biodegradability of polylactic acid (PLA) and polyhydoxybutyrate (PHB) materials. Terre originally participated in the Team-RET program in 2002.
Stephen Zielinski teaches 7th and 8th grade math at South Seneca Middle School in Ovid, NY. Steve worked with Materials Science and Engineering Professor Uli Wiesner and his graduate students Phong Du, Carlos Garcia, and Anurag Jain. His research focused on the development and characterization of hybrid organic-inorganic block copolymer thin films. He originally participated in the Team-RET program in 2000 and the Independent-RET program in 2001.
At the end of the RET program, teachers are expected to develop a materials science related lesson plan. These lesson plans, which we refer to as modules, have been as varied as the teacher that have participated and have ranged in topic from geology to biodegradable polymers to balsa wood bridges. The full list of RET developed modules can be found on our RET Modules page.
