For the past three summers, education and engineering faculty at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) have conducted the Professional Development Science and Math Summer Technology Institute for middle and high school math and science teachers in Nebraska. Teachers interact with engineers and develop lessons incorporating cutting-edge materials and using multi-media technology. The lessons use real-world applications and are designed to increase students’ math and science skills and to teach students about several different disciplines of engineering. Our project has proven to be very successful and we expect this summer to be even better!

Similar to last year, this year we have the opportunity to invite 72 students (about 36 middle and 36 high school) to participate in an Engineering Education Excellence Institute. Students who are registered will go to either the UNL campus or the UNO campus (your choice of location for students in Lincoln and Omaha) or remote sites participating via distance technology (Scottsbluff, North Platte) to enjoy a day of interacting with world renowned engineers, executives in industry, and leaders in government, touring on and off-campus sites, and experiencing and reviewing lessons from a student perspective presented by middle and high school teachers related to aspects of engineering.

Dates and Times:

• Middle school students (grades 6-8): Thursday, July 16, 2009, from 8:30 am until 5:00 pm
• High school students (grades 9-12): Friday, July 17, 2009, from 8:30 am until 5:00 pm

Other Important Information:
There is no registration fee for students, and lunch will be provided. Transportation will not be provided to and from the institute; however, transportation for field trips during the day’s events will be provided.

Submitting an Application for Students
Participation is limited to 72 students. Completing an application as soon as possible will increase the likelihood of acceptance for participation. Parents of middle and high school students interested in participating are encouraged to complete a very quick and brief (5 minutes) on-line application as soon as possible, or you can fax or mail in the application below.

Completing this brief application will let us know that your child is interested, and it will give our project team permission to contact you with more details, answer any questions you have, and provide more information about registration for your child. Applications will be accepted for full registration based on timeliness of submission and in order to insure a good representation of participants in terms of number, gender, and grade level (middle and high school) from schools partnering with us. The registration process will be finalized by May 2, 2009.

For further information about this project, please contact:
Dr. Gina Kunz (In the College of Education and Human Sciences through the Nebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families and Schools at UNL) at gkunz@unl.edu (402) 472-4659, or
Ms. Valerie Lefler (In the College of Engineering, through the Mid-America Transportation Center in the Nebraska Transportation Center at UNL) at vlefler2@unl.edu, (402) 472-1974
Support for this project is provided, in part, by the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education and the U.S. Department of Transportation.