Teacher Research Academies

The Teacher Research Academy (TRA) offers K-14 teachers a unique professional development experience that allows them to progress from novice to mastery in variety scientific disciplines. Teachers who complete the TRA will take new science and technology to use with their students and will be able to guide their students to conduct research investigations within one of these content areas.

Each of the content areas offered in TRA is derived from the cutting-edge science conducted at LLNL. Teachers participating in the TRA will have an opportunity to see this science in the laboratory and meet the scientists performing the work. This experience can provide teachers with a context to discuss with students how this science is used to solve real, large-scale problems.

The TRA program is standards-based. Teachers completing the program can anticipate which standards they will enhance by incorporating this new content knowledge and skills into their teaching practice.

The TRA program currently offers instruction in three content areas: biotechnology, biophotonics and fusion-astrophysics. In the summer of 2007, two additional topics were added: Energy Technologies & the Environment, and Bioinformatics.