National Science Foundation RII Track-1 Project:Expanding Research, Education and Innovation in South Dakota
SD Space Grant: Research Experience for Teachers (RET)
The South Dakota Space Grant Consortium (SDSGC) is accepting applications for 2023 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) summer fellowships. The program enables secondary teachers to enrich their knowledge of science and engineering practices by joining a research group at a South Dakota university or laboratory in the summer of 2023. Research has shown that teachers who participate in research experiences are able to provide an enriched classroom experience for their students in subsequent years.
All 2023 awards are contingent upon U.S. Congressional approval of the 2023 federal budget and the availability and receipt of FY2023 Space Grant funding from NASA. We invite current secondary teachers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) disciplines to apply. Up to four RET fellowships will be offered during the summer of 2023. Research projects must align with NASA’s mission and those of the SDSGC and its affiliates. The RET fellowship will be $8000.
Consideration is open to all secondary teachers in South Dakota who have taught full-time in 2022-23 in an area of STEM. However, preference will be given to high school teachers and teachers who have not previously received a SDSGC RET fellowship.
Participants are expected to:
- work at a SDSGC affiliate research organization* during the Summer of 2023 for at least eight weeks;
- participate in occasional videoconferences with other RET teachers and science education professionals to develop strategies for transferring the summer experience to the classroom;
- give a poster or oral presentation about your research; some choices are the South Dakota Academy of Science or the South Dakota Science Teachers Association annual conference in the spring of 2023, or the NSF EPSCoR Summer Research Symposium (if offered). Note: Any travel expenses associated with the required presentation are expected to be borne by the teacher utilizing their fellowship funds;
- participate in two online surveys or phone interviews as part of our evaluation process.
Teachers will make their own arrangements for working with a research group. However, if you are interested in a particular area of research and/or location and need help in making contact with a faculty member, please contact Peggy Norris at pnorris@sanfordlab.org.
Important Dates
- Application Receipt Deadline: February 21, 2023, 10:59 CST (11:59 p.m. MST).
- Award Notification: anticipated to be announced by March 31, 2023.
Eligibility and U.S. Citizenship Requirement All applicants must be citizens of the United States. Applicants must be full-time secondary school teachers in a STEM discipline during the 2022-2023 school year and planning to teach full-time for at least three more years in South Dakota.
Affiliate Research Institutions
Augustana University (Sioux Falls), Black Hills State University (Spearfish), Dakota State Univ (Madison), Lake Area Technical College (Watertown), Northern State Univ (Aberdeen), Oglala Lakota College (Kyle), Sanford Underground Research Facility
(Lead), Sinte Gleska University (Mission), South Dakota School of Mines and Technology (Rapid City), South Dakota State University (Brookings), United States Geological Survey Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), University of South Dakota (Vermillion)