The CalTeach Summer Research Institute (SRI) is a NSF-Funded eight-week program designed to encourage undergrads from UC Berkeley and UC Merced to learn about the implementation of research practices in education. SRI provides a stipend for participants to conduct intensive research on campus or nearby labs while also taking a seminar series that focuses on methods to bring research and data science skills into K-12 classrooms. Apart from the seminar, students participate in weekly research and curriculum development sessions to further strategize the tools needed to improve data literacy in K-12 education.
At the conclusion of the summer term, students are eligible to continue participating in professional development workshops and curriculum implementation in K-12 classrooms with additional funding from SRI.
SRI 2023 will be held in-person during the Berkeley Summer Session C schedule. The stipend for a full-time, 8-week, 36 hours-per-week research placement in 2022 was $6,300.
We acknowledge the generous support of the National Science Foundation-sponsored "Research Experiences for Teachers" award for funding teacher and undergraduate research as well as the BERET+D program.
Research
Summer Research Institute students work closely with large data sets to enhance data literacy development. Participants are paired with a local STEM Teacher and together support the ongoing work of their faculty or post-doc research mentor. Our team works diligently with applicants to find placements that match their interests among the diverse research activities at Berkeley. Placements cover a wide variety of research disciplines; this summer we have partnered with more labs including Earth and Planetary Science, Chemistry, Nuclear Engineering, and Integrative Biology. It is estimated that students spend 36 hours per week in their lab or research group. The research experience culminates with a poster presentation highlighting the work conducted over the summer. Examples of past research can be found here.
Seminar
The Integrating Research Methods into K–12 Teaching in Mathematics & Science (EDSTEM 189) seminar meets once a week for four hours. Through this course, SRI participants explore ways to integrate research techniques and skills into lessons for K–12 math and science classrooms. The course explores lesson planning and successful teaching methods through engaging demonstrations, and emphasizes collaborative review and revision of lesson components. EDSTEM 189 satisfies the research methods component of the CalTeach minor.
Eligibility Requirements
Must be a CalTeach undergraduate student at UC Berkeley or UC Merced to apply.
Must be a U.S. Citizen, National or Legal Resident to apply.*
*It is possible to apply to the SRI as an Undocumented or International Student. Though International and Undocumented Students are ineligible to receive the SRI stipend, it is possible to receive partial funding from a different source while participating in the Summer Research Institute.
How to Apply
The Summer Institute is open to UC Berkeley and UC Merced undergraduates interested in a career in teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Please complete this Google Form application to apply to SRI 2023.
Priority deadline is 2/21.
Final deadline is 4/3.
All application materials should be submitted via Google form, except for the letters of recommendation. Letters can be emailed to the SRI Coordinator at sri_calteach@berkeley.edu.
For any questions regarding the program, please contact sri_calteach@berkeley.edu.