RET Program

IoT4Ag RET Summer Program

The 2025 Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program serves middle school teachers who would like to learn more about how Internet of Things technologies are being developed to increase crop yields, while decreasing water and other resources needed to farm. IoT4Ag Engineering Research Center’s research and education programs and the larger discipline of Ag-Tech provide many topics for teachers to bring into their classrooms. These topics are relevant to food, energy, water, and many STEM disciplines, and can be related to societal grand challenges. RET participants collaborate with IoT4Ag Center members to translate technical research into a YouTube video for educator or student audiences and develop standards-aligned, ready-to-use lesson plans that connect to Ag-Tech.

Program at-a-Glance

Program dates: July 7 – August 4, 2025

Format: Full time (40 hours/week), in-person

Location: University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Walnut St., 19104

Eligibility: Middle School Teachers able to commute daily, who are committed to attending the entire immersive program

Stipend: $4,000, based on completion of educational products by expected deadlines

Application Review: Applications are being accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until the positions are filled. We will update this webpage and close the application portal when we are no longer accepting new applications for 2025.

Note: Best Practices for RET program effectiveness include having pairs of teachers from the same school. We encourage applicants to discuss this opportunity with their colleagues at their schools.

Program Details

This intensive, immersive four-week program for Middle School educators will provide training in phenomena-based science, using real-world research in the Ag-Tech space. Participants will get a deep dive into the scientific method and process. They will see how the process is implemented and translated into usable technologies through engagement with students, researchers and staff based in the IoT4Ag Center.

Participants will be integrated into some of IoT4Ag’s July programming that is part of the Center’s regular activities. These are not designed for teachers per se; teacher participants however will get an insider view of the types of activities that the Center hosts and participates in for a range of audiences. RET applicants should be open, curious, and willing to be part of activities that may stretch their comfort zones and/or knowledge background.

Participants will leave having produced a short video that translates published research into a format accessible to educators and/or to students. Participants will develop a lesson plan appropriate for their own classes and students. The lesson will be published on the IoT4Ag K-12 webpage as part of the Center’s K-12 resources for educators anywhere to use.

Educators who are able and intend to implement their lesson plan into their classrooms are the participants who are the best match for this program. Program participants will be invited to submit a budget for needed materials for their lesson plan implementation. Approved materials will be provided by IoT4Ag for use in the 2025-2026 academic year. Teachers who implement their lesson and complete an implementation report during the upcoming academic year will receive additional compensation.

Application Materials

Online application form below (questions can be viewed here for preparation before starting the form)
Resume (3-page max)
Recommendation/Support from your Principal, Assistant Principal, or School-Based Teacher Leader (you will provide a contact email for us to solicit the supplementary information; anticipated time for your Reference to provide the information is 10 minutes)

Applications will be reviewed ONLY after all components are received.

Questions can be directed to IoT4Ag’s Education Director, Kristin Field (kfield@seas.upenn.edu).