SD Space Grant Consortium: Research Experience for Teachers

The South Dakota Space Grant Consortium offers Research Experience for Teachers fellowships aimed at enhancing STEM education. This program provides secondary teachers with hands-on research opportunities at local universities or laboratories, enabling them to enrich their teaching practices. With a focus on inclusion, especially for under-represented groups, the initiative seeks to foster skills that will contribute to the future workforce in science and engineering fields. Each fellowship is valued at $8000, supporting teachers' professional growth.

NOTE: Awards are contingent upon U.S. Congressional approval of the federal budget and the availability and receipt of Space Grant funding from NASA.
Vision and Mission
The vision of the South Dakota Space Grant Consortium (SDSGC) is to expand opportunities for all South Dakotans through education, research, and public service in the fields of aerospace, earth science, and supporting STEM disciplines.
Goal
To administer a fellowship/scholarship program that offers educational and research opportunities to students from diverse backgrounds who are pursuing degrees in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) that align with NASA’s mission and those of SDSGC members and affiliates.
Objectives
Objectives of the program include encouraging under-represented students such as Native Americans and women in STEM-related educational and research fields.  The program offers hands on, tangible research experiences to student fellowship awardees at NASA Centers, EROS, and industry which will develop skills that contribute to the future workforce.  All students who receive significant fellowship or scholarship assistance from SD Space Grant will be longitudinally tracked through first employment or beginning of advanced degrees.
We invite current secondary teachers in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) disciplines to apply. Up to three RET fellowships will be offered. Research projects must align with NASA’s mission and those of the SDSGC and its affiliates. The RET fellowship will be $8000. Consideration is open to all secondary teachers in South Dakota who are teaching full time in an area of STEM.
Participants are expected to:
work at a SDSGC affiliate research organization during the Summer for at least eight weeksparticipate in occasional videoconferences with other RET teachers and science education professionals to develop strategies for transferring the summer experience to the classroomgive a poster or oral presentation about your research; some choices are the South Dakota Academy of Science or the South Dakota Science Teachers Association annual conference in the spring or the NSF EPSCoR Summer Research Symposium (if offered)participate in two on-line surveys or phone interviews as part of our evaluation process.

Eligibility

All applicants must be citizens of the United States. Applicants must be full time secondary school teachers in a STEM discipline during the school year and planning to teach full time for at least three more years in South Dakota.