QuarkNet provides professional development and on-going support for physics teachers who get
involved in the program. The professional development occurs in many different ways during a
teacher's involvement, these include:
The summer of the first year:
- A one-week Boot Camp at Fermilab in Illinois, during which the teachers work closely with other
physics teachers on a research scenario and attend seminars given by acclaimed scientists.
- A seven-week research appointment at a research institution
near the teacher's home in which a pair of teachers works closely with mentor physicists.
- Membership in our e-mail listserve which hosts discusssions on many issues related to
teaching and learning physics.
The balance of the first year:
- Frequent meetings with their mentor during the academic year.
- Regular visits to the teacher's classroom by a member of the QuarkNet
staff; this individual is an experienced phyiscs teacher
who can provide both coaching and content support.
- Communication with the colleagues that they meet at Fermilab via the e-mail listserve.
These teachers also access on-line activites and datasets designed to allow high-school
students to investigate introductory physics through the lens of particle physics. QuarkNet
staff and teachers create on-line learning materials
and share them via our webserver.
The teachers continue in the program by recruiting up to ten more local physics teachers
to participate during the following summer. The number of teachers working at these QuarkNet
Centers is now twelve. The professional development work continues:
The summer of the second year:
- A three-week workshop at the local research
institution designed by the original pair of teachers and attended by all twelve.
- Membership in our e-mail listserve which hosts discusssions on many issues related
to teaching and learning physics.
The balance of the second year:
- Frequent meetings with their mentor during the academic year.
- Regular visits to the teacher's classroom by a member of the QuarkNet
staff; this individual is an experienced physiscs teacher
who can provide both coaching and content support.
- Communication with their teaching colleagues via the e-mail listserve.
QuarkNet is a long-term program that provides modest participant support beyond the first
two years. The purpose of that support is to recognize the effort that goes into keeping
a "research and learning community" going. Centers may choose a variety of ways to use this
support from one-week summer workshops to academic-year, alliance-style meetings and ideas
inbetween. We encourage centers to leverage this support.
We recognize that a university physics department may have a number of education and outreach
activities, and we welcome the opportunity to blend the QuarkNet center activities with these
efforts as long as they support our long-term goals.
The third year and beyond initial support:
- A one-week equivalent program to be determined by the center.
Options after five years:
- Support a team of one teacher and four high school students for summer research
each summer.
- Support two teachers to attend the Boot Camp at Fermilab, one
summer only.
- Continue initial support only.
QuarkNet also funds support to the centers so that participants can purchase equipment, software
or other material to help teach material. We can also support travel to meetings so that
participants from different research institutions can remain in contact.
Center can request support via an RFP.
QuarkNet receives support from the United States National Science Foundation, the United
States Department of Energy, as well as ATLAS, CMS and Fermilab. Centers also receive in-kind contributions from their host institutions, and some have leveraged funds from other sources.