RET site: resilient communities through engineering infrastructure

The National Science Foundation Division of Engineering Education and Centers awarded the University of Connecticut $599,998 on December 15, 2026, to establish a Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) site focused on resilient infrastructure engineering at the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

The RET site will host ten teachers each year for six weeks to explore research in water, energy, and transportation infrastructure technology, processes, and modeling that maintain and improve public health, safety, and quality of life. Teachers will collaborate with six faculty members and five graduate students annually to develop and deliver curriculum for grades 6–12 that introduces students to infrastructure-focused engineering concepts and community engagement practices. Over the three-year period of performance through November 30, 2029, the program expects to engage 30 teachers total. Teams of teachers, faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students will work together to develop classroom materials exposing junior and secondary students to engineering skillsets and pathways in community-focused infrastructure design.

The program pursues three core objectives: building teacher knowledge of infrastructure-relevant engineering concepts transferable to classrooms; developing teacher understanding of how engineers collaborate with stakeholders and communities to strengthen infrastructure resilience; and establishing enduring partnerships with grades 6–12 teachers and schools that enrich experiences for both undergraduate students and K–12 students. Work is performed in Storrs, Connecticut.

The award operates under the NSF Engineering program (CFDA 47.041) as a Project Grant assistance type.

Abstract

The RET site: resilient communities through engineering infrastructure in the school of civil and environmental engineering at the university of connecticut (uconn) will host ten teachers each year to explore research topics that focus on the technology, processes and modeling that help maintain and improve public infrastructure. These teachers will be exposed to cutting-edge research in creating resilient water, energy and transportation infrastructure that aims to maintain and improve public health, safety, and improve quality of life. They will learn how engineers engage communities to address the full range of needs and interests in engineering design. Through this experience, teams of teachers, faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students will collaborate to develop and deliver curriculum to grade 6-12 classrooms that help expose students to new ideas, develop engineering skillsets, and encourage any student that shows an interest that community-focused engineering is a pathway they can pursue. The RET site: resilient communities through engineering infrastructure in the school of civil and environmental engineering at the university of connecticut (uconn) has three specific objectives, 1) to develop teachers? Knowledge and awareness of infrastructure-relevant engineering concepts, which they can introduce into their classrooms; 2) to develop teachers? Understanding and insight into how engineers collaborate with stakeholders and communities to improve infrastructure and strengthen community resilience; and 3) to develop ongoing partnerships with grade 6-12 teachers and schools that will enrich experiences for undergraduate students as well as junior high and secondary school students. Ten teachers are expected to spend six weeks in this program each year, for a total of 30 teachers over three years. In addition, 6 faculty and 5 graduate students each summer, and at least 10 engineering senior design teams of 4 students each during the academic year will be involved in the development and implementation of the curriculum. The RET site empowers grade 6-12 teachers to effectively engage students in civil and environmental engineering. The program establishes relationships among teachers across schools and districts, and with faculty and university students to promote distribution of information and lesson plans, thereby promoting the program beyond the cohort of participants. Best practices and lesson plans will be shared with the larger stem community through conference presentations, articles, reports and by publishing relevant lesson plans online. The RET site directly contributes to national priorities for strong engineering education and addressing grand challenges in engineering that prepares students to meet the complex challenges in sustainable and resilient infrastructure needs confronting our communities. 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.