| Three Nebraska high school teachers spent the summer serving as
"roving reporters" covering the Research Experience for
Undergraduates (REU), a program enabling college students to assist
UNL professors with research projects (see
REU article, page 2). The teachers constructed a web site describing
their observations. Known as the Research Experience for Teachers
(RET), the program was made possible by a National Science Foundation
grant. According to Dr. John Stezowski, the RET’s Primary Investigator,
the NSF hoped to involve high school teachers with academic research.
"Many of these teachers have been away from laboratory work for
a number of years," said Dr. Stezowski.
Refamiliarized with the research environment, RET teachers can
better convey the excitement and innovation of chemistry research
to their high school students. Cynthia Schultz, a chemistry teacher
from Omaha South High School, found that her experience with the
REUs impacted her approach to teaching in several ways. In her high
school classes, she intends to emphasize organic chemistry more
than in the past. Schultz also received insights into the emerging
importance of technology. "Everything the REU students did
was on computer," she said.
In addition to the program’s direct benefits for the RET
teachers, Dr. Stezowski says that the RET web site will be employed
as a classroom resource. The web site includes a "ChemHelp"
section designed to assist students with the chemistry concepts
involved with the REU’s research. Interactive graphical representations
enable students to rotate molecules and watch video clips. Throughout
the web site, the practical applications of the research are explained
to emphasize the significance of chemistry in everyday life. For
Schultz, this helps answer the "what for" question she
commonly hears from students.
Dr. Stezowski expects that the site will give students insights
into the nature of laboratory work as well as providing a vehicle
to help students learn some of chemistry’s fundamental concepts.
The RET site includes autobiographies of the REU college students.
Schultz thought that this served an important educational purpose,
demonstrating to high school students "that people like them
with only a few more years of education can become involved in important
chemistry research." The RET web site may be accessed through
the UNL Chemistry Department home page at www.chem.unl.edu. Click
on the link to the REU program and then follow the "Press Central"
link on the left side of the screen.
The high school educators participating in the program were Tom
Brestel, a physics and chemistry teacher from Holdrege High School;
Sean Putnam, a chemistry teacher from Lincoln High School; and Schultz.
In addition to the NSF, the UNL College of Arts and Sciences and
the Center for Science, Mathematics, and Computer Education provided
financial support for the program
Dr. Stezowski expects to continue the RET program next year. Any
interested teachers should contact him at the e-mail address JSTEZOWSKI1@unl.edu.
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