UC Davis’ CREST Fellows will lead a pair of free summer academies for kindergarten-through-12th-grade teachers of science, technology, engineering and math, the university announced.

CREST in this case stands for Computing Research Experiences for STEM Teachers, with STEM referring to science, technology, engineering and math. The National Science Foundation supports UC Davis’ CREST and similar projects around the country through another program called CREST: Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology.

One more acronym: C-STEM, the UC Davis K-14 Outreach Center for Computing and STEM Education, runs CREST.

In the CREST project, secondary school teachers receive fellowships lasting one year, during which time the teachers are partnered with UC Davis faculty mentors for training and inspiration. The goal is to see the secondary school teachers effectively guide their students toward computing and STEM-related careers and post-secondary study.

The fellowships begin with a six-week summer program, and extend through the academic year when the teachers return to their own schools and classrooms.

The fellows also will share their knowledge via the upcoming academies. Registration is limited to people who are now engaged in teaching the STEM subjects.

According to a news release, the fellows will introduce other teachers to new curricula, and conduct training on the principles of computing and its teaching pedagogy, the fundamentals of teaching a lab for algebra, using interactive computing and programming to engage student learning, the basics of teaching computer programming and computer science, and methods for integrating computing and engineering activities into the K-12 STEM curriculum.

The academy dates and areas of focus:

• Monday-Wednesday, Aug. 8-10 — Prealgebra and algebra I support through computing: “Using 21st-Century Skills to Strengthen Logical Thinking”
• Thursday-Friday, Aug. 11-12 — STEM technology and design: “Using C Programming to Teach Critical Thinking in the 21st-Century Classroom.”

Hours for both academies are 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, and the location for both academies is 1062 Bainer Hall.

The organizers said all participants will receive software licenses, teaching materials, solutions manuals and UC Davis C-STEM Center implementation support.

Registration is requested by July 28. The form and more information are available online. Or call (530) 752-1028.