“Research Experience for Teachers” is an NSF-funded program that supports summer research experiences for K-12 educators. The goal of this program is to foster relationship and the exchange of expertise between University-level researchers and K-12 educators. In other words, engineering researchers share their expertise in engineering and research with educators, and the educators help faculty understand the state-of-the-art in K-12 classrooms (curricula, pedagogy, educational environments and challenges). This program culminates in the creation of classroom activities and curricula that broaden students’ awareness of and participation in engineering career paths. Read more about this NSF initiative here.

Oakland University was recently awarded an RET site which proposed to focus on demonstrating that engineers work to make our society healthier and more sustainable. Since the metro-Detroit area is home to the automotive industry, many who live and work here conflate ‘engineering’ with designing the world’s next car. But this view is limited and engineers do much more than this! By integrating teachers in engineering research projects focused on health and sustainability and fostering the development of related classroom activities, we aim to shift the local vernacular from “engineering = automotive” to “engineering = a better world.” We believe that this shift will naturally result in increased and broadened participation in engineering careers.

Program fast facts:

Who: This program is geared toward K-12 STEM teachers (both in-service and pre-service) in the metro-Detroit area
- Successful applicants will be :
  - A teacher from the metro-Detroit area with a passion for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Middle and high school level teachers should be teaching in a STEM area. Elementary teachers can teach all subjects.
  - In-service teachers must hold a bachelor's degree or higher in education and an active teaching or professional teaching certificate in Michigan with a minimum of a full year of teaching experience in any STEM subject at the start of the program.
  - Pre-service teachers must be currently enrolled in and actively pursuing a bachelor's degree in STEM education or Elementary Education with a minimum GPA of 3.0 (undergraduate and/or graduate) and have at least 50 hours of classroom time. Successful applicants will teach a STEM discipline at the K-12 level, as demonstrated by their background and courses previously taught or developed (in-service teachers) or by their coursework and extracurricular involvement (pre-service teachers). We will also take into consideration any mentorship and history for deploying new curricula to the classroom.
When: The RET program lasts for 6 weeks during the summer. In 2026, the program will begin on June 22nd and finish on August 7th, with the week of the 4th of July holiday off.
Where: Our program will run in a hybrid format, with about half the time spent on campus at Oakland University in Rochester, MI.
Benefits: Participants in the RET program will receive a stipend of $1800/week (in-service teachers) or $1400/week (pre-service teachers). For participants with school-aged children (K-12), OU also offers STEM-based summer camps for kids in this age range (more details can be found here).
Next steps: Applications are open from now until January 30, 2026. Please access the application by clicking the button below! Screening and interview of top applicants will occur in February with decisions being made by the beginning of March.
- Application requirements:
  - 2 letters of recommendation
  - A personal statement
  - Resume or CV
  - Transcripts (graduate or undergraduate)
  - Responses to the following questions:
    (1) Please describe your interest in the program and why you believe you are a good fit. Be sure to include comments on your interest and how you anticipate developing engaging new course curricula based on your experiences with the program, and
    (2) In-service teachers: Please describe your experience teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and/or Mathematics, including any curriculum you have developed. Pre-service teachers: Please describe your commitment to teaching science, technology, engineering, and/or mathematics in relation to your extracurricular experiences, undergraduate coursework and your post-graduation career plans.
    Questions? If you have questions about the program, please contact the RET site PI (Professor Sarah Beetham, sbeetham@oakland.edu).