Collaborative Research: RET Site: Energy and Engineering Education for Rural and Reservation Elementary Schools

About This Grant

This Research Experience for Teachers Renewal Site, hosted by Montana State University in collaboration with Purdue University, addresses a critical national need: preparing a skilled STEM workforce by starting with our youngest learners. In many rural and American Indian reservation communities, elementary teachers often lack the training and confidence to teach engineering concepts. This gap limits students’ early exposure to engineering and their ability to see themselves in STEM careers. To bridge this gap, this MSU RET Renewal Site offers a unique, hands-on summer research experience for elementary teachers from Montana’s rural and American Indian reservation communities. Over three years, at least two dozen teachers will participate in a six-week program where they will work alongside university researchers on real-world energy challenges - such as renewable energy systems, sustainable materials, and fluid dynamics. This RET Renewal Site will coordinate many of its activities with the Montana Nanotechnology Facility (MONT), one of sixteen National Nanotechnology Coordinated Infrastructure (NNCI) sites. All RET participants will engage with NNCI materials fabrication and characterization resources and experts during orientation, research tours, and instrumentation demonstrations. RET research mentors and their students will have unique and direct NNCI interactions, routinely collaborating with NNCI in their research, leveraging these experiences toward teaching in STEM. These experiences are paired with professional development in teaching practices, curriculum design, and relevant industry and community field trips. The project strengthens partnerships among schools, universities, industry, and Indigenous communities, creating a sustainable ecosystem of support for STEM education. In alignment with the NSF’s mission, this project promotes the progress of science and enhances national prosperity by investing in future innovators. It demonstrates how thoughtful, place-based education can inspire the next generation of engineers by starting in the elementary classroom. The Montana Engineering Education Research Center RET Site Renewal project aims to strengthen STEM education in rural and American Indian reservation communities by equipping elementary teachers with the skills and confidence to teach energy and engineering concepts. Over three years, the project will engage at least two dozen pre- and in-service K–5 teachers in a six-week summer research experience, followed by academic-year support. Teachers will participate in hands-on research in MSU engineering labs, exploring topics such as renewable energy systems, sustainable materials, and quantum applications. The project’s focus on energy, a topic of both regional and global importance, makes science and engineering relevant and accessible to students. These experiences are paired with professional development in curriculum design using the 5E model, Universal Design for Learning, and Montana’s Indian Education for All framework. Teachers, supported by ongoing mentoring and peer collaboration, will co-develop NGSS-aligned curricula for their classrooms which will be shared widely through open-access platforms, multiplying the project’s impact. The project will assess impacts on teacher self-efficacy and student STEM identity through mixed-methods evaluation. By fostering early STEM engagement and building place-based STEM pathways, the project contributes to national goals in education, workforce development, and energy innovation. This project is jointly funded by the Division of Engineering Education and Centers (EEC) and Division of Electrical, Communications, and Cyber Systems (ECCS). 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.