Teachers Workshop:

Engineering Concepts to Enhance
Secondary School Math/Science/Tech Ed
Curricula

Including hands-on labs easily tranferrable to YOUR classroom!

Tuesday & Wednesday, June 23 & 24, 2009
8:30 am - 4 pm
University of Delaware (Newark Campus)

1.5 CEUs (equivalent to 15 professional development hours) awarded for full participation
The first 20 teachers to register will also receive a $100 stipend for full participation, provided through funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and gifts to UD's Engineering Outreach Program.

Register Online!

Workshop Description

Engineering is one of the most dynamic fields in the market today! Yet the number of students choosing to pursue the exciting engineering fields is declining in the U.S. Our country -- our world -- needs YOUR help as math, science and technology education teachers. YOU can help today's pre-college students see themselves putting to use the math and science skills you are teaching them. YOU can help your students see how those skills can be used to "turn ideas into reality" -- the very thing that engineers are known for doing!

Workshop Format

The workshop will open this year with presentations by your colleagues - teachers who participated in the 2008 Nature InSpired Engineering Research Experience for Teachers (NISE RET), detailing their 6-week summer research experience and how they have incorporated that into their respective math or science classrooms. Each of three other sessions will feature an engineering faculty member who will help you better understand a particular engineering field and will describe research that will grab the attention of your students, pointing out the high school level mathematics and science concepts needed to understand this research topic. Then you will put this engineering knowledge to work as you engage in hands-on experiments/modeling in our engineering labs. Finally, in consultation with your colleagues and the engineering faculty member and/or graduate students, you will create curricular enhancements that incorporate these engineering concepts and laboratory activities into your own curricula, using them to address various State Content Standards in science and mathematics while you wake up your students with these real-world examples.

In addition, you will be provided with information about the realm of UD's research and engineering facilities and learn ways to help you identify future engineers among your students!

Who Should Attend

Secondary school math, science, and technology education teachers. The workshop sessions will be primarily aimed at high school, although middle school teachers can also work the basic engineering concepts into their curricula. (All participants in the 2009 NISE RET will attend the first day of this workshop, as part of their 6-week research experience.)

Benefits

This workshop will enable YOU to do the following:

* Understand how engineering uses the math and science YOU are teaching to your students.

* Challenge your students with information and activities related to leading-edge engineering
research while you address Delaware’s Content Standards in Science and Mathematics.

* Be better-equipped to discuss engineering careers with your students.

* Realize the outstanding resources available at the University of Delaware.

* Enjoy and benefit from cross-disciplinary interactions with your own colleagues and with UD faculty..

* AND MORE!

Agenda Topics

Registration, Continental Breakfasts, and Lunches (all included) provide great networking opportunities!
Welcome/workshop orientation
Engineering Concept Sessions and Laboratory Experiences

Topics will include:

I. Presentations by 2008 NISE RET participants:

* Natural Fiber Composites (Bob McDowell & Peter Yonko, Newark H.S.)
*3 Environmental Engineering Labs (Matt Messick & Adria Hughes, Sun Valley H.S.; George Hildebran, Rising Sun H.S.)
* Drug Release from Bio-Inspired Hydrogels (Elizabeth Cartier & Nancy duBell, Aberdeen Middle & High Schools)
* Materials for Natural Energy Capture (Megan Bone & Nick Cattone, William Penn H.S.; Jessica Wukitsch, Rising Sun H.S.)

II. Seeing through fog and dust - RF & MMWave Imaging -
Dennis Prather, the Engineering Alumni Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering

III. Regulating the Nation's Waters: Probabilistic Water Quality -
Dominic DiToro, the Edward C. Davis Professor of Civil & Environmental Engineering

IV. Shear-thicking Fluids - Walking on Water! -
Norman Wagner, the Alvin B. & Julia O. Stiles Professor, and Chairperson, Department of Chemical Engineering

DON'T MISS THIS FANTASTIC LINE-UP OF EXPERTS!!

Registration and General Information

Program Fee ($20.00) partially offsets the cost of course notes, continental breakfasts and lunches, UD parking, and all breaks.

Enrollment Deadline: Friday, June 12, 2009

Cancellations and Substitutions: Although the program fee is nonrefundable, substitutions are permitted up to the first day of the workshop.

Registration Confirmation: A letter of confirmation will be mailed to your home address the week of June 15, and will include directions to campus/parking.

Register Online!