The CNT at the University of Washington sponsors a seven-week summer research program for middle school and high school teachers on the university’s Seattle campus. Teachers selected for the program participate in ongoing research projects with researchers and have the opportunity to develop new classroom lesson plans based on their research experiences.
Take a look at CNT Lesson Plans created by our RET participants.
Application Process
Although we consider a number of factors when choosing teachers for the program, we highly encourage teacher applicants from Cleveland, Franklin, and Chief Sealth High Schools within Seattle Public Schools. For the online application, two people must be designated to provide references on your behalf. When an application is submitted, an email is automatically be sent to references, inviting them to complete an online form. We do not accept letters of reference sent by mail or email. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
We will not offer an RET program in 2025.
Applicants must:
Be a middle school or high school STEM teacher at a school within the United States.
- Be a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident of the U.S. (or its possessions).
- Devote 40 hours per week to the program during the seven-week session. This is considered a full-time commitment and you may not enroll in classes or hold other jobs during the day. Participants will be paid a stipend and will not receive professional development credit for the research experience. We will make every attempt to accommodate reasonable requests for schedule flexibility, while maintaining the program effectiveness for other participants.
- Attend program meetings, lectures, seminars, focus groups, and workshops. Again, we want to be as flexible as possible. Please feel free to contact Dr. Eric Chudler, CNT Education Director, (chudler@uw.edu) if you have any questions about the summer schedule and how we might be able to accommodate existing plans.
- Live within commuting distance of the UW’s Seattle campus. If not a local teacher, you must provide your own housing and transportation to the University of Washington.
- Use materials from your CNT research to develop grade-appropriate and differentiated curriculum materials to meet the needs of diverse students.
- Have a teaching appointment for the school year, use the curriculum materials developed during the RET program in your classroom and allow CNT staff or evaluators to conduct classroom observations when you use these materials in your classroom.
What participants will receive:
- An opportunity to be involved in an interdisciplinary research project with a team of researchers working together to solve a common problem.
- Lectures on ethics, communications, laboratory safety, and other relevant topics.
- A stipend of $7,000 for the seven-week program.
- Innovative curriculum materials developed by fellow RET teachers.
- Support during the implementation of the curricular materials during the school year.
Application Tips:
- In the online application, you will need to upload your resume. You will also designate two people to provide references on your behalf. When you submit your application, an email will automatically be generated, inviting those individuals to complete an online form. We do not accept letters of reference sent by mail or email. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
- Read about the 2020 RET Program in “The CNT continues to expand access to neural engineering education for middle and high school students, even through COVID-19.”
Questions? Please contact Dr. Eric Chudler, the CNT’s Education Director.