Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty members provide various summer workshops on the Institute’s campus. The following programs will be offered in Summer 2013. Additional programs may be added.

The Deep Listening and the Science and Technology of Sounds and Music Workshop

Monday, July 7 to Saturday, July 12, 2013.

• WHO: The Deep Listening community,Rensselaer undergraduate and graduate students, visiting and prospective students, adults and working professionals.
• WHAT: Deep Listening practice is designed towards enhancing one's creativity through increased attention to all sound, including music and the environment. Participants will engage with Deep Listening through various listening and sound-making exercises, while contemporary research in the science of sound/music perception and acoustical analysis will be used to augment this experience. A two-day conference will accompany this workshop, and in attendance will be some of the nation's leading research individuals in the field.
• WHERE: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
• WHEN: 1 Week program during the summer of 2013. This is a 5 day workshop.
• PROGRAM FEES: $800 (room and some meals).

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Attn: Academic Outreach Programs Office ~ Summer@Rensselaer
110 8th Street - 1516 PE
Troy, NY 12180-3590 USA
(518) 276-6809 (Voice)
(518) 276-8738 (Fax)
Please make a copy for your records.

Registration Questions & Answers: If you have any registration questions, please contact Alicia Randazzo at (518) 276-6809.

Space Science and Next Generation of Science Standards

Monday, July 15 to Friday, July 19, 2013.

• Day program plus two evenings.
• Open to pre-service and in-service elementary through high school teachers of science.
• Continuing support for the teaching of astronomy will be provided through a Dudley Observatory forum.
• Applications are due by April 30th.

This summer institute is brought to teachers of Earth Science though NASA and NSF grants written by Rensselaer astrophysicist Dr. Heidi Newberg and the Dudley Observatory Education Committee. Using a combination of hands-on activities and lectures from prominent scientists, teachers will learn how to integrate their improved knowledge of space science into their classrooms. Time will also be allotted for teachers to share exemplary activities they have used in their classrooms.

The NRC New Framework for Science Education places more emphasis on astronomy and Earth Science. It is being used by NYS and 26 other states as the Common Standards are being drafted. All topics will be aligned with the NYS Earth Science Standards and the New Framework for Science Education from which the next generation of science standards is being developed.

Advances in imaging the interior of Earth have caused us to revise our ideas about how Earth formed and is evolving. Satellites and powerful telescopes such as the Hubble have brought surprising new information about the universe. This free, 5-day summer institute for teachers of science will strengthen your content knowledge and help you develop curriculum to meet these new standards. The institute includes engaging lectures by cutting-edge researchers, teaching strategies, hands-on classroom activities, and solar and night time observing. You will also be certified to borrow NASA lunar rocks.

Participation in this summer institute is free. Dorms will be available for those from out of town. Participants will be responsible for a portion of their on campus housing. Lunch will be provided each day. Participants will receive both hard and electronic resources to use in their classroom plus some equipment for their classrooms.

Topics and Activities include:
· Formation of the Universe
· Stellar Evolution
· Planetary geology
· Motion in the Universe
· Telescope observing (two evenings, depending on weather)
· Solar observing
· Climate change
· NASA certification to borrow Moon rocks
· Teaching strategies to enhance delivery of curriculum

Continued support for the integration of these topics into the classroom will continue throughout the 2013-2014 school year. Receive 40+ professional development contact hours.

Space Science and Next Generation of Science Standards - Summer 2013 Flyer (130KB PDF file)

Space Science and Next Generation of Science Standards - Summer 2013 Application Form The application has a submit button that will open up your email and you should see the application as an attachment. Directions for submitting application: Click submit button ( your web browser must be running) If your email does not open with the application attached then You can save the application if you have ADOBE writer and then simply send it as an attachment to(focusonlearning1@aol.com) Or Print the application and send it to: Joan Wagner 7 Joshua Road Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Questions: If you have any questions, please contact Program Director, Heidi Newberg, Associate Professor, Department of Physics, Applied Physics, and Astronomy, (518) 276-2652, heidi@rpi.edu. Please Send Application to: Joan Wagner, 7 Joshua Road, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Please feel free to contact Joan Wagner at focusonlearning1@aol.com regarding application questions.

Smart Lighting – Smart Power Curriculum Development Institute

Monday, July 29 to Friday, August 2, 2013.

• WHO: High school and middle school general science, physics, math, and technology teachers as well as some combination of interdisciplinary teams of teachers from school districts are encouraged to participate to develop projected based curriculum modules.
• WHAT: The Smart Lighting – Smart Power – Smart Systems Curriculum Development Institute is a week-long program organized and sponsored by the NSF Smart Lighting Engineering Research Center. This program is team taught by graduate students and university faculty who introduce teachers to leading edge lighting, power and sensor technologies and how they can be integrated into real world, sustainable and well-engineered Smart Systems. Participants will be engaged in hands-on activities using the fundamentals of electronics and photonics to engineer solutions that address today’s social and environmental challenges. The agenda allows time for collaborative curriculum development among participants and faculty.
• OUTCOME: Science & / or technology teachers will come back with the knowledge, skills, confidence, and a strategy to create unique curriculum to meet common core education standards.
• WHERE: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY
• WHEN: Week-long program during the summer of 2013. This is a full day (8:30AM to 3:30PM) 5-day long workshop. (Note: Possibility of late afternoon/evening in the event of fieldtrips scheduled.)
• PROGRAM FEES: Program is free including supplies and workshop proceedings. Transportation, lunch and other costs are the expense of the participant.
• HOUSING - RESIDENTIAL OPTION: On campus housing (single) and meals for non-local participants can be provided at an additional cost.
• APPLICATION PROCESS: Teachers are encouraged to apply on or before March 31, 2013. An email will be sent to confirm receipt of materials, please make a copy for your records. After March 31, 2013, applications will continue to be considered for the 2013 program on a rolling basis until the program is full. Faculty decisions will begin April 1, 2013. Decisions will be sent to teachers by email.

2013 Smart Lighting Smart Power Smart Systems flyer and application

MAIL OR FAX MATERIALS TO:
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Attn: Academic Outreach Programs Office ~ Summer@Rensselaer
110 8th Street - 1516 PE
Troy, NY 12180-3590 USA
(518) 276-6809 (Voice)
(518) 276-8738 (Fax)
An email will be sent to confirm receipt of materials.
Please make a copy for your records.

Application Questions & Answers: If you have any application/registration questions, please contact Alicia Randazzo at (518) 276-6809.

Academic Questions: If you have any academic questions, please contact Elizabeth Herkenham at herkee2@rpi.edu

Program Inquiries/Questions/Customized Programs

Interested in a custom training for your state, district or school or additional information on summer teacher programs at Rensselaer? For further information, Request Information.

Rensselaer faculty members customized a Summer STEM Acadenmy that provided several innovative project-based learning sessions that gave participants experience in integrating transdisciplinary STEM-based tools, technologies, and practices into their high school’s curriculum. For additional details visit Rensselaer's Summer STEM Academy.