The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded The University of Tennessee (UT) a five-year grant of approximately $2 million to establish a Research Site for Educators
in Chemistry (RSEC). The grant supports research and teaching experiences for faculty at primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs) with an emphasis on institutions in Appalachia and the Southeast. The aim is to enhance both
research and teaching at these institutions, thereby improving the learning experience of students moving from the PUIs to graduate school or into the job market.
Faculty members in chemistry, biology, and other environmentally related fields at regional PUIs are eligible to apply for Fellowships totaling 2-15 months at either UT, ORNL, a partner PUI, or in the laboratories of designated
industrial partners. Fellows do not teach during summer appointments, and for academic year appointments, teaching loads will be limited to at most one course per semester, allowing Fellows time to conduct research. The structure of the
program provides Fellows with the opportunity to experience the roles of student, teacher, and researcher in different settings and to develop and/or re-energize research programs at their own colleges and universities. Stipends will meet
conventional sabbatical supplements, plus summer and some travel support. Normal sabbatical support from the home institution is expected but not essential. Each Fellow will receive a catalyst grant of up to $7,000 to facilitate the
establishment of research activities in his or her home department after the Fellowship period. Support is available for undergraduate students from the Fellow’s home institution for research participation both at the RSEC site and at
the home institution upon the Fellow’s return.
The University of Tennessee serves as the center for this project, which features partnerships with the Appalachian College Association, Berea
College, UT Chattanooga, The University of the South, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, UNC-Asheville,
Procter and Gamble, Georgia
Tech, University of
Minnesota, University of
Massachusetts, and Wichita
State University. Additional industrial and undergraduate partners will be added during the course of the project.
Link: RSEC Brochure
Please contact the RSEC Program Assistant, for more information:
rsec@utk.edu, 865-974-3387 (phone),
865-974-3454 (fax).
UT is an EEO/AA/Title VI/Title IX/Section
504/ADA/ADEA institution in the provision of its education and employment
programs and services. This material is based upon work supported by
the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 9974734. Any opinions,
findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are
those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the
National Science Foundation.
