Summer Research Institute (for K-12 teachers)

Summer Research Institute for Teachers

The Berkeley Engineering Research Experiences for Teachers (BERET+D) is an empowering program that offers teachers and aspiring teachers with summer research fellowships. The program champions the development and teaching of lessons that connect engineering and data science research into K-12 science and mathematics curricula. Teachers are typically welcome to join the research experiences at UC Berkeley but we are currently not accepting new applications from teachers for Summer 2024 unless you have an independent source of funding.

 
BERET+D offers a vibrant experience by pairing in-service and pre-service teachers within faculty labs at UC Berkeley, fostering collaboration under the supervision of a common research mentor.

  • In-service teachers have a minimum of three years of classroom experience teaching predominantly underrepresented students in nearby public middle and high schools.
  • Pre-service teachers are UC Berkeley students majoring in math, science, or engineering and enrolled in one or more of the series of courses offered by the CalTeach program, exhibiting a strong commitment to pursue careers in teaching math or science in the K - 12 classroom.


Research disciplines include Bioengineering, Chemistry, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Molecular and Cellular Biology, Integrative Biology, Earth and Planetary Science, and Physics. 

As part of this program:

  • One in-service and one pre-service teacher are paired in a host lab under the same research mentor, but working on their own unique research project.
  • In-service teachers will work full-time for 6 weeks, where they will participate in all lab-related activities and meetings, as well as regular check-ins with their research mentors.
  • Teams use their summer research experiences as the basis for developing new engineering lessons and curricular materials for classroom use. During and after the summer, teams work together to develop a curriculum unit of a few days to several weeks, and then jointly teach it in the in-service teacher's classroom during the academic year.
  • Teachers engage in weekly professional development sessions with other teachers and present their research results in a poster session at the end of the summer.
  • Additional professional development sessions will be offered throughout the academic year to support the implementation of the newly designed curriculum. Generally, training will take place on an evening or weekend day in October, December, February, and April. Additional stipends may be available to teachers who participate in professional development.

To Apply

Teachers are typically welcome to join the research experiences at UC Berkeley but we are currently not accepting new applications from teachers for Summer 2024 unless you have an independent source of funding. 

Please email sri_calteach@berkeley.edu with questions.