OPEN to Secondary Science/Math Teachers

Application Deadline Friday, April 1, 2005

Description of Internship
Becoming involved in research allows teachers to do science. This 6-9 week summer internship will allow you to become immersed in a research project which can be translated into fresh perspectives on the material that you teach. Dr. Will Cantrell, an assistant professor in the Department of Physics at Michigan Technological University, has received a grant from NASA to investigate freezing catalyzed by high molecular weight organic compounds. These compounds are frequently injected into the upper troposphere by convection associated with biomass burning in the tropics. As part of the grant, Dr. Cantrell has created a summer internship position for one secondary science teacher to work with him in his lab. The exact scope of the interns research can be tailored to the mutual satisfaction of the intern and Dr. Cantrell, though it will most likely involve infrared spectroscopy of water-organic compounds, calorimetry of water droplets coated with organic compounds, or incorporating results from the laboratory into a computer model.

Internship Logistics
This 6-9 week summer internship will take place during the summer of 2005 at Michigan Technological University in Houghton, MI. The specific duration and exact start/end dates are negotiable. The intern will receive a stipend of $600 per week (35 hours per week). The teacher/intern will be asked to incorporate their research into their classroom curriculum during the following school year. Funding is available if the teacher is willing to present their experience and/or newly developed curriculum at a professional scientific conference (i.e. American Geophysical Union) or professional education conference (i.e. National Science Teachers Association, American Association of Physics Teachers, etc.). The teacher/intern will also be asked to assist Dr. Cantrell in secondary curriculum development during the school year. For more information on Dr. Cantrell's research, send an email to: cantrell@mtu.edu or visit his homepage:

www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Cantrell.html

Application attached.(PDF File)