RET Site: Engineering Classrooms And Research Experiences for Health

This award establishes a new Research Experience for Teachers (RET) Site at the University of Massachusetts Lowell to provide immersive research experiences for 24 high school math and science teachers from Massachusetts gateway cities, defined as cities with lower median household incomes and rates of educational attainment. The Engineering Classrooms And Research Experiences for Health (ECARE for Health) RET site aims to equip teachers with the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to introduce students to engineering solutions that can improve healthcare accessibility in low-resource settings. Engineers are developing innovative technologies that make healthcare more affordable, accessible, and effective, and these advances have the potential to improve health outcomes and quality of life for many. However, many teachers have limited opportunities to engage with engineering research or to connect emerging healthcare technologies to classroom instruction. This RET site addresses this gap by engaging teachers in hands-on research and professional development that increases their knowledge of the engineering design process and research methods in healthcare, support them in developing and implementing standards-aligned classroom modules that translate their summer research into accessible STEM learning experiences, and building sustainable school and university partnerships that can expand participation in engineering. The ECARE for Health RET Site will recruit and support 8 high school STEM teachers annually from Massachusetts Gateway City school districts for a six-week summer research experience followed by an academic-year implementation and dissemination. Teachers will work alongside engineering faculty on interdisciplinary projects spanning biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, medical devices, and rehabilitation technologies. They will participate in professional development focused on engineering design, scientific inquiry, research literacy, artificial intelligence, and healthcare engineering. Faculty mentors will participate in professional development on K–12 pedagogy and curriculum standards. Together, teachers and faculty will participate in scaffolded workshops to co-develop classroom-ready engineering modules through the Understanding by Design framework. During the academic year, teachers will implement and assess their newly developed lessons in collaboration with faculty mentors and preservice students, then disseminate their work through conference presentations, publications, and open-access educational resources. 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.