Chapman hagfish labAre you a K-12 science teacher interested in engaging in lab and field research this summer? Through a grant from the National Science Foundation, Chapman University is giving two local K-12 science teachers a unique research learning opportunity this summer in Chapman’s Comparative Biomaterials Lab run by Dr. Doug Fudge, Associate Professor of Biological Science in Chapman’s Schmid College of Science and Technology.

The two science teachers will have the chance to work in Dr. Fudge’s lab this summer and travel to the Shoals Marine Laboratory in Maine for a two-week fieldwork and learning experience. They will then join Dr. Fudge and Dr. Tara Barnhart (Assistant Professor of Teacher Education in Chapman’s Attallah College of Educational Studies) throughout the 2021-22 academic year to design lessons for their students that integrate what they learned during their summer experience.

Summer 2021 Teacher Research Experiences

  • Two immersive weeks at the Shoals Marine Laboratory in Maine, where you will interact with marine biologists and college students. You will also get the opportunity to explore the pristine marine environment in and around Appledore Island, including work in the intertidal, a hagfish collecting trip, and several other field excursions.
  • Work with a Zeiss laser scanning microscope and Zeiss Axioimager epifluorescent microscope to document the intracellular anatomy of hagfishes’ slime-producing cells.
  • Field trip to the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in La Jolla, California, to visit its fish collection.
  • Engage in lesson study cycles with Dr. Fudge and Dr. Tara Barnhart (Assistant Professor of Teacher Education in Chapman’s Attallah College of Educational Studies) once monthly during the 2021-2022 academic year to translate your lab experience into NGSS-aligned curricular designs, emphasizing the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Science and Engineering Practices that you can enact with your students.
  • Learn how to use equipment such as Go-Pro cameras and techniques such as high-speed and time-lapse videography, which can be incorporated into lesson plans on animal behavior and locomotion.

Participating Teacher Commitment

  • Work 35 hours a week for 8 weeks between June 24 and August 18, 2021.
  • Participate in monthly collaboration meetings during the 2021-2022 academic year.
  • Mentor a Chapman student teacher during the 2021-2022 academic year.

For their participation during summer 2021 and the 2021-2022 academic year, each K-12 teacher will receive:

  • $10,000 stipend
  • Travel expenses to and from the Shoals Marine Laboratory
  • A summer of fantastic science learning

Apply Now

Interested? Complete the online form by April 1, 2021.

You will then receive a link to an online folder where you can upload the following:

● A cover letter explaining why you are interested in the program.
● A letter of recommendation from an administrator (site or district).
● A sample one-day lesson plan that addresses one of the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices.

Questions? Contact Dr. Tara Barnhart (tbarnhart@chapman.edu) or Dr. Doug Fudge (fudge@chapman.edu).

Chapman’s top priority is the health and safety of the entire community, and we continue to follow all public health guidelines and developments. For Chapman updates and information, visit cusafelyback.chapman.edu.