The Howard Hughes Medical Institute/National Institutes of Health/Montgomery County Public Schools (HHMI/NIH/MCPS) Teacher Internship Program at the National Institutes of Health (STIP) has been funded with a grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. This professional opportunity is open to all middle and high school science teachers, regardless of their teaching field. The program begins the week after the school year ends and runs for seven weeks. Teachers will take a one week preparatory course which covers molecular biology, the methods of science, and an orientation to the NIH environment.

The objectives for the program are listed below:

•  Learn the techniques of molecular biology, including DNA analysis, cell transformation, recombinant DNA, and gene transfer.
•  Explore the methods of scientific research.
•  Learn more about basic immunology, animals in research and bioinformatics.
•  Develop lessons that teach the methods of scientific investigation.

Eligibility Criteria: Teachers must:

•  Have completed a college level course in chemistry,
•  Possess a basic understanding of molecular biology,
•  Wish to learn how modern research is conducted,
•  Wish to improve their instruction of scientific methods, and
•  Want to spend a summer in an intellectually challenging environment.

Online applications for teachers will be available December 1, 2009.