Summer 2026 Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program Concludes with Poster Symposium

This summer, eight educators participated in the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Program; a six-week research experience that connects K-12 teachers with faculty-led STEM research while exploring solutions to real-world challenges aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

2026 RET Participants stand for a group photo

The 2026 cohort included five in-service high school teachers, a recent WPI graduate and Teacher Preparation Program alumnus, Jesse Drozd, and two pre-service teachers.

Working closely with WPI faculty mentors, participants spent the summer exploring solutions to challenges in energy, health, the environment, and technology through research projects connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Faculty mentors included Adam Powell (Mechanical & Materials Engineering and Chemical Engineering), Scarlet Shell (Biology & Biotechnology), Andrew Teixeira and Geoffrey Tompsett (Chemical Engineering), and Doug Petkie (Physics).

2026 RET Research Projects

WPI RET Participants stand infront of their research poster.

 

WPI RET Participants stand infront of their research poster.

 

WPI RET Participants stand infront of their research poster.

 

WPI RET Participants stand infront of their research poster.

In addition to conducting research, participants engaged in weekly professional development sessions led by the STEM Education Center at WPI. Teachers explored strategies for translating their laboratory experiences into classroom lessons that help students investigate real-world problems, apply engineering and scientific practices, and better understand STEM career pathways.

WPI RET Participants engage in PD sessions

The program culminated on August 7 with the RET Poster Symposium, where RET participants shared their research experience. The event also featured an Industry Panel with professionals from across Central Massachusetts who discussed STEM careers, workforce skills, and the evolving role of technology and artificial intelligence in the workplace.

WPI RET Poster Symposium and Industry Panel

 

Topics

People

Erin Solovey
Erin Solovey
Associate Professor, Computer Science
  My research is in human-computer interaction and human-AI interaction, exploring how people and intelligent systems can work together in both high-stakes and everyday environments in ways that are natural, empowering, and aligned with human goals and values. One focus of my res [...]
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Adam Powell
Adam Powell
Professor, Mechanical & Materials Engineering
Adam C. Powell, IV is a Professor in the Mechanical & Materials Engineering department who joined the WPI faculty in August 2018. His field is materials processing, and research focuses on greenhouse gas emissions reduction, elimination, and drawdown. Current projects aim to [...]
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Scarlet Shell
Scarlet Shell
Associate Professor, Biology & Biotechnology
I have a passion for understanding how living systems work, as well as for sharing my love of biology and research with the next generation of scientists and informed citizens. The central goal of my lab is to understand the regulatory mechanisms that underlie mycobacterial stres [...]
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Andrew Teixeira
Andrew Teixeira
Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering
Andrew is a classically trained chemical engineer with with specialties in the fields of chemical reaction engineering and materials science. He received his B.S. from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 2009, and continued to pursue his Ph.D. with Professor Dauenhauer at the Univ [...]
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Doug Petkie
Doug Petkie
Interim Dean, Graduate and Professional Studies, Physics
I am delighted to collaborate with students and colleagues to enhance WPI’s global impact. WPI offers a vibrant and dynamic environment that emphasizes experiential learning and interdisciplinary research, with near-peer mentorship spanning the undergraduate and graduate programs [...]
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