RET site: engineering classrooms and research experiences for health

The National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers awarded the University of Massachusetts Lowell $599,963 on September 1, 2026, to establish an Engineering Classrooms and Research Experiences for Health (ECARE for Health) Research Experience for Teachers (RET) site under the Engineering program (CFDA 47.041).

The award funds a six-week summer research program and academic-year implementation spanning three years through August 31, 2029. The site will recruit and support eight high school STEM teachers annually from Massachusetts Gateway City school districts—cities with lower median household incomes and educational attainment rates. Teachers will work alongside engineering faculty on interdisciplinary projects in biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, medical devices, and rehabilitation technologies. The program equips teachers with knowledge of the engineering design process and healthcare research methods, supports them in developing standards-aligned classroom modules that translate summer research into accessible STEM learning experiences, and builds sustainable school-university partnerships to expand engineering participation. Teachers will engage in professional development focused on connecting emerging healthcare technologies to classroom instruction and introducing students to engineering solutions that improve healthcare accessibility in low-resource settings. Work is performed at the University of Massachusetts Lowell in Lowell, Massachusetts.

Abstract

This award establishes a new research experience for teachers (RET) site at the university of massachusetts lowell to provide immersive research experiences for 24 high school math and science teachers from massachusetts gateway cities, defined as cities with lower median household incomes and rates of educational attainment. The engineering classrooms and research experiences for health (ecare for health) RET site aims to equip teachers with the knowledge, tools, and resources needed to introduce students to engineering solutions that can improve healthcare accessibility in low-resource settings. Engineers are developing innovative technologies that make healthcare more affordable, accessible, and effective, and these advances have the potential to improve health outcomes and quality of life for many. However, many teachers have limited opportunities to engage with engineering research or to connect emerging healthcare technologies to classroom instruction. This RET site addresses this GAP by engaging teachers in hands-on research and professional development that increases their knowledge of the engineering design process and research methods in healthcare, support them in developing and implementing standards-aligned classroom modules that translate their summer research into accessible stem learning experiences, and building sustainable school and university partnerships that can expand participation in engineering. The ecare for health RET site will recruit and support 8 high school stem teachers annually from massachusetts gateway city school districts for a six-week summer research experience followed by an academic-year implementation and dissemination. Teachers will work alongside engineering faculty on interdisciplinary projects spanning biomedical engineering, tissue engineering, medical devices, and rehabilitation technologies. They will participate in professional development focused on engineering design, scientific inquiry, research literacy, artificial intelligence, and healthcare engineering. Faculty mentors will participate in professional development on k?12 pedagogy and curriculum standards. Together, teachers and faculty will participate in scaffolded workshops to CO-develop classroom-ready engineering modules through the understanding by design framework. During the academic year, teachers will implement and assess their newly developed lessons in collaboration with faculty mentors and preservice students, then disseminate their work through conference presentations, publications, and open-access educational resources. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.