RE-SEED (Retirees Enhancing Science Education through Experiments and Demonstrations) is a Northeastern University program that prepares individuals with science backgrounds to work as volunteers, providing classroom support to upper elementary and middle school science teachers with teaching science.

Description:
Participants complete a free training program at Northeastern University and are then matched with teachers in middle school classrooms. Participants typically volunteer at their school one full or half-day each week. RE-SEED volunteers work closely with the host science teachers. Overall the volunteers become involved members of the schools they work in.

Program Components

• Recruits retired science and engineering professionals

• Provides rigorous 30+ hour training to the volunteers

• Places trained science and engineering professionals in classrooms where they spend on the average, one day a week for at least one year

Program Features

• Activity/inquiry-based program that stresses critical thinking

• Focuses on the physical sciences

• Integrates Mathematics and Science

• Combines content with up-to-date pedagogy

• Aligned with the Massachusetts Mathematics, Science & Technology Frameworks, the National Science Standards, and the MCAS test

Volunteer Contributions

• Increase students' interest in science

• Expand teachers understanding of the physical sciences

• Make science relevant to students by bringing real-life science into the classroom

• Increase students' and teachers' understanding of scientific principles and concepts

• Assist students with science projects and science fairs

• Make and bring science equipment to school

• Mentor students and act as role models

• Have given almost 500,000 hours of their time (cost < $6/hr)

Program Accomplishments

• Trained and placed close to 500 science and engineering professionals in classrooms

• Impacted more than 100 school districts

• Maintained an excellent retention rate (70% of participants volunteer for more than a year)

• In other US states (ME, NH, RI, MD, CA, CO, AL, VA, SC)

• One of the two US science education programs chosen by Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering for implementation in Sweden

History:
RE-SEED is a Northeastern University program started by faculty at the College of Engineering and the Department of Physics. It began as part of a National Science Foundation grant. There were six volunteers in the first class of RE-SEED graduates in 1991. To date close to 500 RE-SEED volunteers have worked in schools in about 100 communities throughout the country offering about 500,000 hours of their time.

Contact people:

Deirdre Weedon, Assistant Director, (phone), (email) Feby Kiragu, Program Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

1135 Tremont Street Suite # 940 RP Boston, MA 02120 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: Ruggles,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5 For maps or information, please see http://www.mbta.com