Summer Internships Provide Teachers with Research Experiences

by George Zamora

SOCORRO, N.M., January 10, 2000 -- In an effort to enhance its curriculum offerings to state educators, New Mexico Tech is initiating a Math and Science Educator Research Program which will allow New Mexico teachers to gain hands-on research experience during the summer at several of the university's various research centers.

Ten teachers selected to participate in the eight-week-long research and education experience project--offered through New Mexico Tech's Master of Science Teaching (MST) program--will be
paired up with university researchers to either develop new research projects or take part in existing scientific investigations.

Vannetta R. Perry, New Mexico Tech's coordinator for educational outreach programs, says the new research internship program will also require participants to submit written reports and oral presentations at the end of the summer program.

By completing the Math and Science Educator Research Internship Program, participants earn six graduate credit hours through Tech's MST degree-granting program.

New Mexico Tech faculty members who serve as mentors during the summer research internship program also will later conduct follow-up visits to the selected teachers's schools.

In addition, teachers who complete a summer research internship are expected to present overviews of their research projects to their respective students, fellow teachers, and school district administrators.

Another part of the follow-up work will consist of teacher-participants putting together field trips for their students to visit research sites and later establishing research projects for students, which would be supervised via the Internet by the professors who served as teachers's mentors at New Mexico Tech.

"The research and teaching experience gained by teacher- participants will be invaluable, and disseminating that knowledge throughout New Mexico will enrich the teaching and learning of our state's K-12 students," Perry says.

Applicants who are chosen to participate in this summer's research internship program, which begins on June 12 and continues through August 4, will be eligible for available scholarship funding, which includes six hours of graduate tuition, plus travel expenses for mentors to visit schools and
for field trips for students to visit New Mexico Tech research sites.

A small amount of funding also will be available through the program to help develop and implement student research projects after the program's completion.

Applications for the Math and Science Educator Research Program must be completed, submitted, and postmarked no later than May 15.

Teachers interested in applying for the summer internship program, or those who wish to receive more information about other MST courses being offered this summer, are asked to contact Perry as soon as possible at (505) 835-5678, or by e-mail at science@nmt.edu.