Department of Energy Academies Creating Teacher Scientists

TAI Program Descriptions

Savannah River National Laboratory
Teachers as Investigator Program
July 7 - August 1, 2008

Middle school science teachers from South Carolina , Georgia and Florida are invited to apply to an exciting, four-week experience at the Savannah River National Lab (SRNL). Teachers are encouraged to apply as school or district teams of two or more. Over the course of three summers, participants will utilize resources and expertise in the major program areas at SRNL to improve teachers content knowledge and to gain scientific research experience.

Participants will receive materials for their classrooms to support hands on science activities developed and demonstrated during the courses and tied to National Science Standards. The integration of instruction on inquiry-based science teaching and current science research experiences will provide teachers with valuable tools to incorporate into their own classrooms and influence the teaching culture of their schools. Through their interaction with the SRNL mentor scientists and teaching peers, the teachers will develop a network of contacts and resources for on-going support.

Laboratory’s Program expectations:

Teachers will develop lesson plans during the last week of their experience. Topics will be assigned according to teachers’ needs that were identified in their pre-program surveys. The goal is to strengthen the teachers’ knowledge and instructional skills in unfamiliar topic areas through hands-on experience and working with SRNL scientists.