Research Experience for Teachers

July 21 - August 1, 2025

Northwestern University, Evanston Campus

Does the idea of gaining research experience in university labs sound exciting to you? The Baxter Center for Science Education's Research Experience for Teachers (RET) is a 2-week paid program that gives local teachers the opportunity to participate in a "tasting menu" of experiments, primarily with researchers from Northwestern University's Center for Synthetic Biology, and develop related experiences to bring back to their classrooms. (Check out a story about the 2024 RET here!)

Synthetic biology uses tools and concepts from many disciplines, such as chemistry, engineering, and computer science, to build new biological systems that address important challenges. These biological systems are built from molecules like DNA, RNA, and proteins and make use of naturally occurring cellular and molecular processes. By repurposing such molecules and processes toward new ends, synthetic biology is advancing solutions in health, sustainability, and other areas.

Applications for the 2026 RET (tentative dates July 20-31) will open in February 2026! All middle and high school teachers who support students in in science classrooms are welcome to apply! We will seek a balanced cohort of teachers from across Chicagoland, and priority will be given to teachers who have not participated in an RET before. (But if you have participated in and love RETs, please don't hesitate to apply!)