About the ASRT Program
#ASRTProgram

made possible by funding from Regeneron and ZEISS

Advancing STEM Research Teaching (ASRT) Program...

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• is a week-long, in-person, professional development workshop focused on curriculum, activities, and guides to support high school teachers involved in providing science/STEM research opportunities for their students.
   

• is free, thanks to funding from Regeneron and Carl Zeiss Microscopy.
   

• takes place at a location that you choose, which is typically in/near your school/office or where your science fair is hosted.
   

• is typically 4.5 days of in-person professional development during the summer months, with follow-up support, as needed, via Zoom during the school year. 
  If it is held during the school year then it is typically a 3 or 3.5 day in-person workshop followed up by online sessions during the remainder of the school year and summer.
   

• is customized to help teachers reach their goals and overcome obstacles specific to their school/region. This includes small or medium or large schools and rural, suburban, and urban areas.
   

• has helped teachers/Fair Directors from a wide variety of states including; California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
   

• provides a curriculum filled with hundreds of activities and guides that can be customized by teachers who provide research opportunities within a traditional STEM classroom setting, or those with a small, growing research program/club, or even those with more established Science Research Programs/Clubs. These activities include not just what to do, but how and why.
  This includes activities, guides, templates, and rubrics that will help with:

  • guiding students how to decide on a research area that fits within their available time, resources, and area of interest

  • customizing a calendar to help keep all students on task and moving forward with their STEM research projects

  • building time management skills with students

  • increasing students basic (foundational) and advanced knowledge, understanding and critical thinking especially focused on their chosen area of research

  • strengthening students networking and communication skills

  • guiding students how to prepare to reach out to local, regional, or national STEM professionals in their chosen area of research, to ask them to help as a “mentor”

  • instructing students on how to design and write a research proposal/plan in accordance with science fair guidelines

  • building students design and presentation skills with research papers, PowerPoints/Google Slides, and posters

  • reviewing, critiquing, grading student presentations in all formats

  • providing information and insight regarding all stages of the student research process and the opportunities and regulations for students to present in public, including in science fairs and other competitive/non-competitive venues
     

• provides the hundreds of activities, tips, guides, and rubrics on a USB “thumb” drive for all participants. These are also accessible via a Google Drive folder. All activities are free to copy, edit, customize to suit the individual needs and goals of the teachers participating in the ASRT workshop.
   

• offers free, follow-up support, throughout the following year, via phone call, email, or online meeting.
   

The ASRT Application:

• launches in October and closes in mid/late November
   

• is open to all high school teachers who support students involved in science/STEM research projects from small, medium or large schools and from rural, suburban or urban areas.

  • Teachers can apply individually or as a group​
     

• is open to all Science Fair Directors, from small, medium or large, science fairs, that would like to bring together a group of high school, and potentially middle school, teachers for a week of free, customizable, professional development
   

• will be available by link on this website and in an email sent to all ISEF-affiliated fair directors with the hope it will be passed along to all high school teachers

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The ASRT selection process:
Applicants will be evaluated by a committee from Regeneron and/or ZEISS, on the basis of a number of different criteria including, but not limited to:

• an interest in increasing students' understanding & critical thinking, technology-based skills, networking/communication skills and presentation skills.
   

• an interest in increasing the number of high school students who carry out projects and/or the quality/level of those projects.
   

• an interest in increasing the types/categories of the projects that their students are able to be involved in.
   

• an interest in increasing participation in regional, state, national and international science fairs with students of all background/cultures/academic levels
   

• the level of support from the school community and their administration for creating science research/STEM opportunities for high school students.
   

The high school teacher(s) or science fair director(s) who are selected as "Finalists" will receive multiple days of in-person consulting sessions (typically 4.5 days), at or near their school(s) as well as the opportunity to have follow-up sessions online (Zoom/Google Meet) throughout the year.

Additional teachers/Fair Directors may be selected as "Semifinalists" and will receive 2 days of consulting via an online/virtual format.
 

Teachers and/or Science Fair Directors who have applied will receive an email regarding whether or not they were selected by early December.
 

The application for the 2023 ASRT program has closed. Please email if you would like to be notified when the 2024 applications opens in fall of 2023.