The following was written by Rabiah Harris, a middle school science teacher and DoD STEM Ambassador. DoD STEM Ambassadors work with the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) to advance STEM outreach for students who are underrepresented in STEM or military connected. Harris was selected by TIES, a DSEC Partner, as its DoD STEM ambassador for the 2022-2023 school year.

I have spent every summer since 8th grade working. Summer 2022 was the same, except I really didn't know what I was in for! In winter 2022 I applied to the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC). Although I am a physical scientist, I learned as a young adult that I love environmental research and regret that my traditional secondary school experiences were not supportive of my growing love for nature. The RET program organizers make their selections in spring, and I began my adventure in July in the biogeochemistry lab alongside Dr. Genevieve Noyce.

My summer program also included a large amount of time at the Global Change Research Wetland (GCREW), which is part of SERC, tucked away from the main campus in Maryland. Researchers have conducted simulated experiments about climate change at this location for the past 40 years. At SERC I helped Dr. Noyce and her team collect data for future experiments at GCREW, such as measuring plants for the yearly census, collecting and sorting plants, and collecting porewater. This was very different from work I did in college as a physical scientist, and very different from my everyday work with students. I was empowered to ask questions of the scientists, lab technicians, and other staff to learn about the experiments' whys and hows, which directly led to me creating a classroom application based on the work we did at SERC!

As a science teacher I want my students to engage in authentic science. However, since I am almost 20 years removed from undergraduate studies, I have wondered—do I really know what that means? My conclusion is that before SERC I did not have enough first-hand experience in environmental research. But now, between weekly professional development with other RET program participants plus the research at SERC, I am much more confident about bringing the spirit of this work to the classroom. In fall 2022 I introduced the second iteration of an air quality unit that mirrored the spirit of our work at GCREW and the biogeochemistry lab. We analyzed similar plants and students designed an experiment.

Are you interested in scientific research this summer with dedicated time for figuring out how to apply it to your own classroom? Look no further! There is likely an RET program for you! Check out this link and let me know what you did with the hashtag #myRETexperience!