Teachers Researching Evolution
TEACHER REVOLUTION provides opportunities for K-12 teachers to work with research scientists in university labs and at field sites. Teachers will participate in a mentored summer research experience in evolutionary biology, spending 4 to 8 weeks experiencing first-hand how scientists and researchers approach problems, design experiments, interpret data, and communicate findings.
Read about the available research experiences here.
The 2019 Application is now open. Please apply at the link below by Monday, April 29 at 11:59pm.
Apply Here
WHY participate?
Teachers: Participating in an authentic research experience is fun and very different from being in the classroom with students. The background information, reading and lab discussions are mentally stimulating. Most participants claim that their enthusiasm for teaching is increased after the experience and that they are energized to bring authentic research experiences to their students.
What teachers had to say about the experience:
“I liked performing authentic research, collaborating with others, and learning more about a topic that I could bring back to my classroom. I have never taken part of a professional development program that involved me in research and applying that research in the classroom.” (2018 teacher)
Mentors/Scientists: Why provide mentoring and funding for K-12 teachers in your lab? Teachers work hard. They ask good questions. They are experts at sharing information with K-12 students, so they are excellent at thinking of ways to share your research with a broader audience.
What mentors had to say about the experience:
“We were able to provide a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time, which our teacher was able to pay forward nearly immediately. We gave them useful and open source tools they have already started to implement in the classroom. Our teacher became an active member of our lab, and participated in lab meetings and finished an independent project while learning skills they can use for the classroom.” (2018 mentor)
“Loved having her in the lab – she was a great mentor for the students, and she got a lot of research accomplished. It was particularly valuable having her perspective on the alignment of our activities with NGS standards.” (2018 mentor)