Department of Energy Academies Creating Teacher Scientists

TAI Program Descriptions

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

From July 21-August 2, 2008, 10 middle school science teachers will participate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the second summer of the three-year Academies Creating Teacher Scientists (ACTS). For twelve days during summer 2008, the teachers will be immersed in adult learning activities emphasizing the applications of materials design, energy efficiency, and sustainability in automobile manufacture and utilization. ACTS also will assist the teacher participants in understanding the environmental, economic, occupant, security, and safety issues that must be considered in automobile design. Energy design considerations include fuel efficiency, mechanical and electrical systems, energy modeling, and energy cost (operation) analysis. The ACTS program will furnish the teachers with knowledge-based experiences that can be applied in their classrooms. To assist the ACTS participants in transfer of their summer workshop experiences back into their classrooms, the teachers will participate in eight days of enrichment activities during the subsequent academic year. These activities emphasize utilization of inquiry-based curricula and movement of student learning from traditional classroom methods to problems-based teaching and learning activities. Strong emphasis is placed on alignment of science curricula with standards-based classroom activities.