Research Experience for Teachers

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for Advancing Sustainable and Distributed Fertilizer Production (CASFER) strives to solve one of the most pressing problems facing humankind: How do we feed the growing world population while protecting and sustaining our environment?

CASFER hosts a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program every year during the summer. Our RET participants are talented and motivated teachers eager to learn and grow professionally. They join CASFER research teams to conduct state of the art research and develop innovative educational materials for their classrooms. In addition, teachers have the opportunity to attend professional development seminars.

RET Program 2025

Program Dates: June 2 - June 27 and July 7 - July 18, 2025

Application Deadline: March 17, 2025

The CASFER 2025 Summer RET Program will be housed at several of our partner institutions, including Texas Tech University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Case Western Reserve University. Teachers will receive training in a laboratory environment and be expected to assist with active research projects. RET teachers will work closely with scientists and researchers of the university, as well as, graduate and undergraduate students from various CASFER labs and programs. In addition, all teachers will participate in educational seminars where they will learn how to integrate CASFER content into their classrooms. This program is designed to provide teachers with hands-on laboratory experience in various projects and disciplines and to develop traveling lab kits for their schools and other schools in the local community.

Eligibility Requirements:

Local educators currently teaching middle school or high school STEM Subjects
Available and able to commit to six weeks (Mon - Fri, 8:30am-4:30pm) at one of CASFER's partner institutions of your choosing
Willing to incorporate classroom activities and learning outcomes in the following academic year
Must be eligible to work in the U.S.

Teachers Will Receive

A Weekly Stipend
CASFER RET Certificate
Opportunity for professional development working with university researchers
The opportunity to present their research at a CASFER research conference/workshop
The opportunity to test the developed STEM curriculum in their classrooms next year

Apply Now

To apply, please click on the link above and fill out all of the necessary information. Additionally please make sure all of the application materials are emailed as a PDF to Zaida Gracia (zaida.gracia@ttu.edu).

If you have any questions, please contact Zaida Gracia.