Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program

The Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program began in 2015 with the

awarding of SC INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence)’s Cycle

III five-year grant renewal. In 2017, the State of South Carolina was awarded a $20

million NSF Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research RII Track-1

award. Consisting of the state’s three comprehensive universities, in collaboration with

partner institutions throughout the state, these two programs joined forces to serve

to expand biomedical research capacity (SC INBRE) and advanced materials research

(SC EPSCoR). These combined initiatives support up to 14 teachers per year.

Managed from Furman University, the SC RET program enables teachers to engage in

a 6-week immensive research experiences at an institution in their local area. These

experiences (the first for many SC teachers) expose teachers to modern research

methods and allow them to link their research activities to classroom activities

designed to increase their students’ knowledge and awareness of science. Teachers

are directed in carrying out unique, individualized research projects resulting in scientific presentation at the SC INBRE Science Symposium and/or SC EPSCoR Annual Meeting.

This program represents a full time commitment (35-40 hours/week) and provides financial support ($3,000 each) to participants, as well as a supplies budget (up to $500) to translate summer experiences into deliverables during the participant’s academic year instruction.

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Teachers who participate in RET program present their research during the poster sessions s at SC INBRE’s annual Science Symposium.