This award renews a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site focused on cyber-enabled technologies. Each summer, thirteen high school Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers from Miami-Dade County Public Schools will participate in summer research activities with faculty at Florida International University. The research projects center on emerging cyber-enabled technologies such as cloud computing, social networks, and cyber security and privacy, all topics of current interest and importance. The participating teachers will translate their research experiences and knowledge into classroom practice by developing instructional modules and course materials that they will introduce in their classrooms and share with other teachers in their school districts. These activities all contribute to the formation of a community of practice in partnership between the teachers and the faculty mentors that has the potential to significantly enhance STEM education in the participating school districts. The RET Site revolves around a core multidisciplinary research team exploring theoretical design, networking, application, and software issues for next-generation cyber-enabled technologies. It augments core research themes missing from current solutions including optimization methods and software for robust, secure, context aware, reconfigurable, and adaptable cyber-enabled technologies. This integrated approach should help the teachers understand the context and scope of their research activities and interact with others as a cohort. The primary goals of the proposed RET site are to (1) build long-term collaborations between Kindergarten-through-12th grade (K-12) STEM teachers and the research community; (2) increase K-12 teachers' knowledge of cyber-enabled technologies; (3) build K-12 teachers' technology competency through research and professional development programs; and (4) assist teachers in developing class curriculum based on their experience. This project will help develop a core group of teachers who can bring cyber-enabled technologies into their classrooms and excite high school students about applications of cyber-enabled technologies and the many possible related career paths of the future.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
