Research Experience for Teachers (RET)
Summer 2008
"Connecting Research to the Classroom"
Science Teachers "Think Green" at CEBC, Summer, 2008
Four area high school teachers spent six weeks this summer doing research at the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC) with funding from the Kansas NSF EPSCoR program.
All of the research projects had one thing in common – the environment.
Alan Gleue (center left), physics teacher at Lawrence High, focused on capturing sunlight with fruit-based dyes. These “smoothie” solar cells are cheaper to make than standard solar cells, but not as effective. One of the key ingredients is titanium oxide. With help from Dr. Javier Guzman, Alan determined that the solar cells work best with “nano-sized” titanium oxide, tiny particles that are 1000 times smaller than the diameter of a human hair.
Jason Sutton (far right), biology teacher at Gardner-Edgerton High, studied the environmental effects of a new class of chemicals called ionic liquids. While these chemicals do not evaporate and cause air pollution, little is known about how they will impact land and water resources. Dr. Aaron Scurto helped Jason test the effects of ionic liquids on pond water snails. This work has been turned into an inexpensive and simple “ecotoxicology” lab activity for high school students.
Carolyn Pearson (far left), physics teacher at Bonner Springs High, and Steve Stultz (center right), biology teacher at J.C. Harmon High, both in Kansas City, Kan., worked with Dr. Susan Williams to study biodiesel formulations. Carolyn and Steve made biodiesel from different blends of soybean oil and coconut oil and tested their shelf-life and fuel properties.
All of the teachers created lesson plans related to their summer research. Thus, not only did these four teachers gain from this opportunity, but their future students will benefit as well.
Program Overview :
Activities for high school science teachers include:
- Assistance developing hands-on, inquiry-based lesson materials.
- Discussion sessions and workshops to gain pedagogical, assessment, and laboratory skills.
- KU campus visits during spring 2008 to meet faculty, discuss projects and receive reading materials. This will allow plenty of time to prepare for the summer experience.
- Class field trip to KU during spring 2008.
Financial Benefits:
- $6,500 stipend (housing and transportation not included)
Academic Benefits:
Eligibility Requirements:
- Participants must be teaching high school science during the 2007/2008 and 2008/2009 academic years
- High school science teachers must live within commuting distance to the University of Kansas, main campus, in Lawrence, KS
- After implementing newly developed lesson plans in course curriculum, participants must assess impact of unit on students in their class by completing a survey. Students in our participants’ classes will also be asked to complete a survey to evaluate the lesson(s).
- Must have US citizenship or permanent residency
Some Possible Research Topics:
- Environmentally Benign Catalysis
- Catalyst Design and Synthesis
- Computational Molecular Design
- Biochemical Engineering
- Reactor Design and Testing
- Environmental Impact Assessment in Process Design
For more information about the REU program, please
contact:
Claudia Bode, Ph.D.
CEBC
1501 Wakarusa Dr., Suite A110
Lawrence, KS 66047-1803
bode@ku.edu
Photos and description of the 2006 program
The CEBC Summer 2008 RET program is
supported by a grant from the Kansas National Science Foundation Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
