STAR aims to produce excellent K-12 STEM teachers by providing aspiring teachers with opportunities to do authentic research while helping them translate their research experience into classroom practice. STAR also supports the continued development of our Teacher-Researcher Fellows with ongoing professional development and networking opportunities.
STAR is a nine-week paid summer research experience program for aspiring K-12 STEM teachers. To be eligible applicants must be from any California State University (CSU) Campus or be a Noyce Scholar from any US university. Undergraduates on a teaching path, STEM undergraduates seriously considering a career in teaching, or credential candidates apply to work with cutting-edge researchers.
Here's how it works! You spend nine summer weeks working full-time with a research team on cutting edge projects. You work hard, challenging yourself and learning new skills while advancing real science in a field that interests you. You meet fabulous people and immerse yourself in the culture of science. Each week you participate in an education workshop focused on transferring your lab or field experience to the classroom. Finally, you share your knowledge at two conferences. Our funding partners pay you a weekly stipend for your work, the labs get you to help answer pressing questions, and -most importantly- your students get a teacher that knows how science works in the real world. Everybody wins!
Our research mentors are Principal Investigators (PIs) running various research programs at partner lab facilities. Fellows conduct their own cutting-edge research project designed to address a question the research group is facing under the guidance of these world-class mentors, postdocs, and lab staff. Because of the pace of modern research, it is rarely possible to know what project Fellows may work on in advance. STAR Fellows have to be excited about research in general, open to new experiences, eager to gain new skills, and able to overcome challenges working independently and with teams. Visit our Lab Site Partner page to learn more about our labs. Fellows work 35 hours on their projects and 4-5 hours in education workshops every week so they also receive a stipend weekly. Projects span a huge range of disciplines. Potential applicants should review projects done by other STAR Fellows at the Cal Poly Digital Commons.
Workshops culminate in Fellows creating a lesson plan for an inquiry-based learning activity inspired by their specific research project.
Each STAR Fellow receives a stipend paid in regular intervals. Available funding and the costs of living differ in each area so the amount of stipend above the base ($500/wk) differs. You can determine your stipend using the table below. Fellows staying in a family home or not relocating will receive an additional $500 to offset housing costs. If you must relocate more than 50 miles to participate in the Program you will receive additional support depending upon estimates of housing costs. These amounts vary from year to year as funding and actual housing costs vary.
The STAR Research Conference is a research showcase and networking opportunity where STAR Fellows present their research to one another and the broader STEM education community through poster sessions and oral presentations. More details can be found on the Research Conference webpage.
What does STAR do for your students and for your teaching career? Listen to just some of the experiences of STAR Alumni who are now STEM teachers. This video was taken at the STAR Closing Conference at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, August 2014.