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Teacher Professional Development

Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Teacher Cohort 2

The NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) Application is closed

Texas Biomedical Research Institute has been awarded the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA). The SEPA program, It’s Contagious! Promoting the Biomedical Workforce Pipeline through Infectious Diseases, is seeking secondary STEM content teachers (high school and middle school science, math, and technology) to participate in this educational research program. The SEPA aims to: 1) increase connections between infectious disease research and classroom content, 2) increase student awareness of biomedical career opportunities, and 3) support teachers in the application of data to inform their teaching practices.

Teacher Eligibility Requirements

This is an educational research project requiring the collection and analysis of data, including student data. Eligible teachers must be at a school or district with an existing Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Texas Biomed.

  • The following districts/schools have an MOU:
    • San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD)
    • Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST campuses)
    • Judson Independent School District (JISD)
    • Incarnate Word High School
    • Somerset Academies (Somerset Collegiate and Somerset Brooks Academies)
    • Southwest ISD (SWISD)
  • Anticipate teaching a science, math, or technology course in the 2024-25 academic year.
  • Teach at the high school or middle school level (grades 7 through 12).
  • Attend a 4-week summer professional development program at Texas Biomed:
    • 8:30 am – 3:30 pm.
    • Program schedule: June 10 – 13 (M-Th); June 17 & 18 and 20 & 21; June 24 – 27 (M-Th); July 8 – 12 (M-F)
    • Texas Biomed observes Juneteeth (June 19) which may impact the schedule.
    • The cohort will not meet July 1 – 5
  • During the academic year, 2024-2025, cohort members participate in seven Community of Practice (CoP) meetings at Texas Biomed. Meeting dates and times are determined by cohort consensus during the summer. CoP meetings are generally scheduled on weekends, with each CoP scheduled for 3-hours.

Compensation

Successful applicants are Texas Biomed consultants with a consultant agreement outlining compensation. For full participation in the year-long cohort study, teachers are compensated a maximum of $6,000, divided over the course of the year ($4,000/summer and $1,000 for each semester based on data collection and CoP participation).

Science Education Partnership Award