Summer Research Program for Science Teachers

When teachers grow, so do students

"Before I participated in this program, i used to teach about chemistry; now I teach chemistry."
- Andrea Bothna, Chemistry Teacher and Former Participant in the Summer Research Program

Columbia University's Summer Research Program for secondary-school science teachers is helping to improve local science education in the New York City area. The program gives science teachers hands-on experience as members of research teams that are led by Columbia faculty in astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth sciences, medical sciences, and physics.

"It is rare to find a basketball coach who has never played basketball. Successful coaches have a feeling for the game. We believe the same principle applies to teaching science," says Samuel C. Silverstein, who founded the program in 1990 and directs it today. Participating teachers also receive a stipend for two years of summer research, technical and online support, and funds to purchase teaching supplies for their classrooms.

More than 200 teachers have taken part in the program to date, returnign to their classrooms with a renewed sense of purpose and appreciation for the process of scientific discovery. And their excitement about science is contagious. A recent study found that their sutdents participate more often than others in science fairs and after-school science clubs and have greater success in passing the New York State Regents Exam in science.