Pre-Service Teacher Program (PST)

A program with the National Science Foundation Collaborative for Excellence in Teacher Preparation. Teachers in training are paired with scientist mentors as well as master teachers and immersed in the research environment. They join a team of Department Of Energy (DOE) scientists in performing cutting-edge research. Student teachers return to the class well grounded not only in the skills and knowledge base required of a scientist, but also in practical experience they can apply to a classroom environment and make it real.

Who is eligible to participate?

Eligibility is limited to students who intend to become a K-12 teacher with a specialty in science, mathematics, or technology. Students must also be:
1. either a matriculating junior or senior at a four-year university, or a graduating community college student
OR
2. a student in a post-graduate program preparing for a teaching certification.

This program is not a job. It is an internship and is intended to support the intellectual and professional development of students who have a sincere desire to be fully involved in a program which offers an intensive, mentored scientific research experience.

What are the responsibilities of a PST participant?

Every participant is expected to:
1. complete the ten week program
2. behave in a responsible and professional manner
3. attend all scheduled events including lectures, tours and group activities

Participants should expect to spend more than 40 hours per week and more than 8 hours per day in activities and or research related to their internships.

In order to demonstrate an understanding of the scientific enterprise, each pre-service teacher will work with the scientist mentor and master teacher to:
1. prepare an abstract of their research in the required format
2. prepare a research paper or oral (poster) presentation in the required format

In order to demonstrate an understanding of the educational applications in a way that specifically builds upon and incorporates the laboratory experience into a classroom setting, each pre-service teacher will work with the scientist mentor and master teacher to:
1. Prepare a educational module that is inquiry-based and aligned with national standards

How does the program work?
Students will be under the mentorship of "master" teachers and Laboratory scientists to help maximize the building of content, knowledge, and skills through the research experience. Workshops will allow participants to receive specific suggestions for applying what they learn to their academic program and ultimately to their own classrooms.

The master teacher will monitor your research experience, bring you through the process of writing an abstract, and assist you in producing an educational module based on your research experience. This educational module will have the potential to be transferred back to the classroom setting.

Our Laboratory scientists have won Nobel Prizes and have been awarded National and international awards. They are engaged in research being conducted locally and worldwide using a wide variety of instrumentation such as our National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) as well as the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC).

PST Contact at BNL:

Mel Morris
Phone: (631) 344-5963
Fax: (631) 344-5832
Science Education Center, Bldg. 438
Brookhaven National Laboratory
P.O. Box 5000, Upton, NY 11973

Last Modified: November 5, 2009
Please forward all questions about this site to: Sarah Maine

One of ten national laboratories overseen and primarily funded by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Brookhaven National Laboratory conducts research in the physical, biomedical, and environmental sciences, as well as in energy technologies and national security. Brookhaven Lab also builds and operates major scientific facilities available to university, industry and government researchers. Brookhaven is operated and managed for DOE's Office of Science by Brookhaven Science Associates, a limited-liability company founded by Stony Brook University, the largest academic user of Laboratory facilities, and Battelle, a nonprofit, applied science and technology organization.

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