For high school STEM teachers and community college faculty
Applications accepted January 15, 2026 – April 10, 2026
This RET is a paid summer research opportunity for high school STEM teachers and community college faculty. Teachers are trained and mentored by Boston University faculty and graduate students as they engage in authentic engineering research projects. Teachers develop their research skills and gain improved understanding of science concepts, technology applications, and potential career paths for their students.
Participants will also develop an original curricular lesson or activity related to their research experience, to be taught in their classrooms and published online at TeachEngineering.org.
William is from the Somerville/Medford area in Massachusetts and teaches high school Biology in Cambridge. He is now in his 29th year of teaching and enjoys the impact he makes on students’ lives. During the program, William worked in the Bifano Lab with former REU, Francisco Sanchez as his mentor. The project was on Measuring the Stiffness […]
Originally born in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, Marla Rhuma moved to the Dorchester area when she was 11, and later moved outside of Boston for school. She always felt called to teaching, and eventually obtained a position as a physics teacher at East Boston High School. Marla has found joy in her work helping students understand difficult […]
RET Christopher Alba Santana, physics teacher at Revere High School, participated in multiple summer Research Experiences at BU Photonics. He conducted laboratory research in 2021, 2023, and 2024 with Professors Will Boley, Tommaso Ranzani, and Tom Bifano. And he was tapped to manage two summer research programs for first year undergraduates, in 2022 and 2025. […]