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MESRP
Research Site Guidelines
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WHY BE A SPONSORING RESEARCH SITE?
The Maryland Educators’ Summer Research Program (MESRP) seeks to match motivated teachers and prospective teachers of middle and high school science, mathematics, and technology with university, government, and private laboratories to engage in authentic research experiences. Through summer research internships, teachers are able to keep up-to-date on new discoveries, new technologies, and new ideas in science and mathematics that can be transferred to attitudes and practices in the classroom.
Research facilities provide a valuable resource to the educators by allowing Interns to team with mentor scientists for internship ranging from six to twelve weeks to participate in “real world” research. During the school year following the internship, Interns participate in Outreach and professional development activities designed to “build bridges” between the research laboratories and their classrooms.
Without the support of participating research facilities, MESRP would be unable to connect educators with these valuable resources and learning opportunities that give them 1) the credibility and experience needed to incorporate content and authentic data into science and mathematics curricula; and 2) attitudes and beliefs about science and mathematics education that can be transferred into classroom practices that engage students in active, investigative learning.
MESRP recruits teachers and students in teacher preparation from across the state to apply for the internships. Candidates are then selected through a competitive process and recommended for placement. While Research Sites retain the right to decline a candidate, MESRP works with the sites to ensure a successful match.
THE ROLE OF THE SITE REPRESENTATIVE
The site representative collaborates with the Maryland Educators' Summer Research Program director regarding administrative issues. The site representative may be an administrative staff person, a scientist, or the mentor. At larger research facilities, a site representative may initially interview the Intern and work with the staff to identify an appropriate placement.
The mentor scientist is the key to a successful summer experience. The mentor must take an active role by clearly defining an appropriate research project, providing guidance, training and support, and serving as a role model for the Intern. The mentor must be genuinely interested in science and mathematics education and be willing to assist in meeting the goals of the Maryland Educators' Summer Research Program by:
§ Enriching the Intern's content knowledge and skills in mathematics, science, and technology.
§ Enabling the Intern to complete a meaningful research assignment that is useful to the
research site and consistent with the Intern's background and experience.
§ Motivating Interns to promote career opportunities in science and scientific literacy among
students.
§ Assisting the Intern in developing innovative ideas for the classroom based on the summer
research experience.
MESRP expects that Interns will be contributing members of a scientific team, and that their exposure to scientists and "real world" science will impact their approach to teaching. We hope that their experiences in research will be well-planned in advance, with specific work goals, activities, and outcomes. Projects for teachers should be meaningful, active, and "hands-on" so that teachers can bring the skills, information, and insights they experience - as well as a new enthusiasm for science - back to their students.
Interns are encouraged to think carefully about their role as a member of a scientific team and how it relates to their role as a teacher. They are asked to look for examples of how to link the research experience to science and mathematics teaching and outreach. Interns are also asked to keep a reflective record of their experiences in a journal.
INSERVICE - PRESERVICE INTERNSHIP "PAIRS"
The goal of MESRP is to provide outstanding classroom teachers and future teachers a unique opportunity to directly experience cutting-edge research, and to better understand how science and mathematics can be taught more effectively to middle and high school students.
In most cases, participating research sites have agreed to host both a preservice and inservice intern for the summer. We hope that both formal and informal opportunities will be available throughout the summer for the experienced teachers to interact with the preservice teachers within the context of the research environment. Our goal is to facilitate relationships between the pairs that will continue when the preservice interns begin their own teaching careers, and provide them with a head start in developing a network of contacts within the teaching profession.
Most internships are for eight weeks. The research site determines the exact schedule for the summer intern.
Sample schedule:
Start Date Completion Date
Eight Week Internship: June 21 August 13
WORK WEEK
Interns are expected to work a full 40-hour week. A regular arrival and departure time should be agreed upon before the start date. If your site requires any variation in a regular daily schedule (working evenings, weekends, etc.) please discuss this in advance.
The program does not provide paid vacation or sick days. Any days missed should be made up by the Intern. With the approval of the research site, Interns may observe the 4th of July as a paid holiday.
Any problem with attendance or tardiness should be brought to the immediate attention of the program director!
A one-day, Mid-Summer Meeting will be scheduled for all summer interns. We request that release time be provided for interns to attend the meeting on that date.
The
Maryland Educators' Summer Research Program (MESRP) is administered through the
Center for Science and Mathematics Education at Towson University, which will
issue stipend checks to teachers and maintain the necessary tax documentation
for the summer internship program. Inservice Level 1 teachers (four
or more years teaching experience) will receive a stipend of $500 per week;
Inservice Level 2 teachers (less than four years teaching experience) will
receive a stipend of $400 per week; and preservice students (rising juniors or seniors
enrolled in a Teacher Preparation program at a University
of Maryland System institution) will receive a stipend of $300 per week.
Stipends will be paid in four increments of 25% each: three payments over the
course of the internship period, and the final payment following Presentation
Day and the submission of a CIP first-draft.
Research sites are asked to pay $600 per week for each level 1inservice intern, $500 per week for each level 2 inservice intern, and $360 per week for each preservice intern to cover the cost of stipends, administrative support, and outreach support during the school year following the internship. MESRP will invoice each site for the total cost of the internship at the beginning of the internship period. Sites are asked to provide specific instructions for invoice submission to ensure timely reimbursement. If the intern assigned to the site does not complete the summer program for any reason, the site will be credited for the balance of any remaining weeks.
In the event a
site is able to provide the human and material resources to support an intern
pair, but is unable to contribute all or part of the stipend and
administrative costs, MESRP may be able to allocate funds from limited
supplementary resources to support intern placement.
Each Intern is requested to contact the site to which s/he has been recommended for placement to arrange an on-site visit prior to attending Program Orientation. This enables the Site Representative and/or Mentor Scientist to meet the Intern, discuss the research project, and decide on the Intern's schedule. MESRP recommends that each site provide resource materials so the Intern can become familiar with the research before beginning the internship. Site Visit Checklist.
SUMMER SITE VISITS
The Internship Coordinator will visit each Intern on-site during the summer. During that visit, the Coordinator will meet briefly with the assigned mentor to ensure the internship is proceeding smoothly, address any concerns, and answer any questions. Interns will receive a copy of the summer visit schedule and will be asked to notify mentors of the date for their Site Visit. If there is a conflict with the date provided, every possible attempt will be made to reschedule the visit. If the visit cannot be successfully rescheduled, the mentor may assign a representative to meet with the Coordinator to discus the Intern's progress.
A primary goal of the Maryland Educators’ Summer Research Program is to enable Interns to transfer their research experiences into the classroom. During the school year following their internship, Interns are required to participate in several individual and collaborative outreach activities designed to enhance and extend new approaches to mathematics and science learning through the larger educational community.
Each week, we ask that Interns be permitted to spend up to 10% of their time (four hours per week) planning activities consistent with their research projects that can be used in their classroom. We hope that mentors will “build bridges” by helping Interns understand how their laboratory research experiences can be transferred back into the classroom, and take an active part in facilitating the transfer of experiences from the laboratory to the classroom.
FALL SYMPOSIUM
At the end of the summer internships, Interns will deliver formal presentations on their summer research project at the Fall Symposium (date). All site representatives and mentors are invited to attend.